Key men return but Smith could still experiment
COACH TRYING TO BALANCE RESULTS AND KNOW-HOW
The next stop on Hull KR’S Super League tour is the John Smith’s Stadium for a game against Huddersfield Giants tonight, kickoff 5.30pm. Rovers go into the clash on the back of two poor performances in back-to-back defeats to Leeds Rhinos.
Here we preview the game in West Yorkshire.
Key men return but Smith to continue experimenting
Last week was always going to be a tough ask with so many players out and Leeds Rhinos took advantage of a weakened side to record a second convincing win over Rovers in the space of six days.
In addition to the injuries, Tony Smith rested a host of players after a heavy workload in previous weeks and it showed as the Robins struggled as a unit, particularly defensively.
The likes of Matt Parcell, Kane Linnett and George Lawler will return against Huddersfield but it will be far from KR’S strongest side on show at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Adam Quinlan, Dean Hadley, Matty Storton and Jez Litten are among the players unavailable due to injury, while Mitch Garbutt has been rested after a big effort against Leeds.
Smith is managing his squad while giving youngsters and fringe players game time, which leaves his team open to the kind of defeat they suffered last Thursday.
The Rovers head coach is trying to strike the right balance between getting results and ensuring there is enough know-how in his squad for next season.
Eyebrows will again be raised when Smith names his side for the Huddersfield game, with a raft of changes expected both positionally and in terms of personnel.
Regardless of who plays where, KR will have enough quality out there to challenge the Giants, something they have struggled to do in recent times.
Huddersfield beat Rovers three times last year and were comfortable winners when the teams last met at Craven Park in February.
The Giants lost five games on the bounce on their return to action – three by just one point – but go into tonight’s match on the back of successive wins.
They are enjoying a new coach bounce under Luke Robinson, with Jermaine Mcgillvary, Jake Wardle and Aidan Sezer particularly impressive last time out against Castleford Tigers.
Robinson’s side, rightly or wrongly, have home advantage and it will take a big effort for Rovers to leave the John Smith’s
Stadium with the percentage equivalent of two competition points.
The Robins will give Huddersfield a game but the hosts are a relatively settled team and that gives them the edge in this one. Prediction: Huddersfield by 10
What they said Jake Wardle
Luke’s told us just to play a bit. He says we have nothing to lose and it’s about enjoying the game, getting as many wins as we can but not just playing one-up rugby.
He wants us to move the ball more and you can see that in these last two performances.
It was one of the best games I’ve had. I managed to get into a bit of space which is one of my strong points.
Tony Smith
They weren’t too far from form anyway. They lost a couple of matches by the narrowest of margins. They’re a pretty solid side and a hard-working team. If you’re going to get a result on them, you’ve got outwork them. We’ve got to do that this week.
They’ve got some good, solid players who work really hard for one another.
One to watch out for
The Giants have quality players across the park but one player particularly caught the eye in last week’s victory over Castleford.
Jake Wardle is highly rated and showed exactly why as he played a key role at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, scoring in the first half and playing a key role in two late tries.
The young centre is big, strong and fast with good footwork – a real handful and a player KR will need to keep a close eye on.
Where KR can get at Huddersfield
Before last week Huddersfield had struggled to see out close games and they will take a lot of confidence from the way they finished against Castleford.
The Giants look strong across the park but are without a recognised senior hooker, with Tom Holmes and Reiss Butterworth sharing the duties in the absence of Adam O’brien. Rovers have lost Litten to injury but in Parcell have a hooker who should feel confident about winning his individual battle.