Smith: We’ll have to dig deep against Hull
TONY Smith is looking for a special performance from Hull KR in the derby as he prepares to welcome back several key men at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Rovers are smarting from a humiliating defeat at Wakefield on Sunday, a result that left Smith’s team bottom of Super League with four rounds remaining.
KR’S depleted squad has been stretched to the limit in recent weeks but looks in better shape for the club’s third game in eight days.
Kane Linnett, Matt Parcell, Weller Hauraki and George Lawler are all set to return, adding experience and quality to a side low on confidence.
“Derbies are great occasions, usually with supporters there,” Smith told the Mail.
“But that rivalry is still there regardless of whether supporters are there or not. It’s certainly a match that both teams traditionally get up for and look for special performances.
“We’re going to have to dig real deep. One of the positives is we’ve got a number of players coming back this week that were unavailable for us on Sunday.
“There were some boys after Thursday’s game that had bumps and dead legs that couldn’t run. A lot of the boys that missed out on Sunday are fit for the derby.
“It’s not an excuse-making exercise at all. We’re putting our hands up to our performances at the moment and admitting we’re not coping with some of what’s challenging us.
“But out of our whole squad at the weekend we had one player in our top-paid seven players. I reckon any team would struggle to some degree in the circumstances.
“That’s the situation we found ourselves in.
“It’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact.”
Whereas the games have come thick and fast for Rovers, Hull have had 10 days to prepare for the clash after their trip to Catalans Dragons was cancelled.
The Black and Whites will come flying out of the traps and
Rovers will have to find a way of living with them, something they have failed to do recently.
In six of their past seven matches, KR have been out of the game by half-time after giving the opposition a big head start.
“We need to make our own luck at the moment,” Smith added.
“We’re a team that’s been on the road for a while now and we look like it. We need to turn that around and we’re trying desperately hard to do that. “We talk about some of our starts to games and we’re trying to address it but sometimes the more you talk about it the more it can hurt you.
“We’ve just got to do it rather than talk about it. It’s just a case of getting down, bending your back and getting your shoulders in and working hard. That’s all you can do to work your way out of these situations.”