Players should be given more respect,p , saysy Smith
TONY Smith hit out at the decision making and called for more respect for the players in Super League after Hull KR’S clash with Huddersfield Giants was affected by a coronavirus outbreak.
The game at the John Smith’s Stadium was in doubt after it emerged four individuals in the Huddersfield camp had tested positive for the virus.
The contest went ahead with a delayed kick-off and Rovers struggled to get going, leaving their fightback too late as they fell to a 32-22 defeat.
Smith felt the situation was avoidable, with the KR head coach questioning the timing of events.
“It’s been a strange day,” he said. “Is it disruptive? Absolutely. I feel for my guys, I really do. I know everybody has got to roll their sleeves up and we are.
“But we ask our players to take pay cuts, not go and socialise like normal people, and make all sorts of sacrifices.
“Then we threaten them with fines if they celebrate too much out there and delay games and throw them out of their routines.
“To find out at lunchtime today when some had already set off, it’s just inconsiderate in some respects.
“They’ve done well. We didn’t get off to a great start and I’m not using that as an excuse.
Was it a disruptive day?
Absolutely it was. We’ve all bitten our lips and at the moment are trying to do what we can to get this league finished.
“But I’d like to see a bit more respect paid back to the players and the people making the sacrifices. I’m not sure we’re as appreciative of those efforts as we should be.”
When asked to clarify where Smith was aiming his frustrations, he replied: “Wherever these decisions are made under these circumstances and how necessary some of those are.
“We’re in the dark a lot.
People just like to have an understanding of certain situations and when you’re kept in the dark and you’re not sure why things are happening, that’s when you start to ask questions.
“That’s us in society at the moment. We’re being told to do a whole lot of things without understanding the full implications and the logic. I think that’s why we all get frustrated from time to time.”
The Robins were 18-0 down at half-time but Smith insisted they were not as bad as the scoreline suggested.
“I’m not using that as an excuse for the result,” he added.
“We weren’t good enough in that first half but I didn’t think we were too far off it either. I didn’t think there was too much between the teams. Last week and the week before we were trounced in the first half.
“I thought we matched them except in the area of execution.”