Watson looking to bounce back after Rhino rout
COACH Ian Watson is expecting a very different performance from his Salford side this afternoon at Hull KR as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s heavy defeat at home to Leeds Rhinos.
It was a first loss of the 2019 Betfred Super League campaign and against a team that has spent big and is expected to challenge at the top of the table, but the Red Devils boss was not happy with what he saw from his team.
“We didn’t give a true representation of what we are all about last week and that has hurt us all considerably, so we need to rectify it quickly,” said Watson.
“This weekend will be all about us making a big improvement and making sure we get the defensive side of our game back on track because basically, if you don’t defend, you don’t win games.
“The players were all extremely disappointed and there was also the feeling that they had not done just to themselves or lived up to the standards we had set ourselves.”
After naming an unchanged squad for the opening two rounds of the season, Watson has made one change ahead of this match, bringing in Daniel Murray at the expense of Mark Flanagan.
Tyrone McCarthy has been 18th man in all three fixtures so far, but will be hoping to make his first appearance of the year against his former club and would be a natural replacement for Flanagan.
Winger Ken Sio is also in line to feature against the KR side he spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with, while Jake Bibby will also hope to break into the matchday line-up for the first time this year.
Whichever side he selects, Watson is expecting a tough challenge from a Hull KR outfit coached by former Red Devils director of rugby Tim Sheens.
He said: “Clubs like to win their home games and KCOM Craven Park has always been a difficult place to go to.
“Hull KR will undoubtedly have set out to win all of their home games and that will certainly be the case for this weekend, so we will have to be prepared for a tough match, by going and performing as we did in the first two rounds.
“It’s a case of bouncing back from last week.
“We are just taking it one game at a time and getting the points on Saturday is our key objective.
“We’ve got to go out and put our best foot forward to give everyone a reminder of what we are working to become.”
The Robins have captain Joel Tomkins, brother of Salford’s Logan, available again after concussion and include ex-Red Devils Tommy Lee, Weller Hauraki and Ryan Lannon in their matchday squad.