Focus must be on our own game: Larder

ROCHDALE Hornets assistant coach Dave Larder insists his side can’t worry too much about their opponents and instead have to focus on bettering their own performance in the coming weeks.

Hornets return to action on Sunday when they welcome Leigh Centurions to the Crown Oil Arena.

Rochdale’s last match saw them beaten 50-26 at home to Batley Bulldogs, and Larder is hopeful of seeing improvements.

“From our point of view it’s not about who we play. We just have to focus on what we are doing and try to put in work for the full 80 minutes. If we do that then the result will take care of itself,” he said.

“First and foremost we have to get our house in order. There is a massive difference between the likes of Leigh to where we are, and everyone is aware of that, so we’ll focus on what we’re about and sort out what we do right.

“The effort has been there from the players, but it just comes down to making the correct decision in the key areas and key stages of matches.”

The defeat to Batley last weekend came despite Hornets performing well in the first half of the match, and Larder says his team must now attempt to play well throughout the entire 80 minutes.

“I think the players went into the game in a similar story to the previous week, where we were confident of getting a result on the back of the work we did in training,” he said.

“Batley had a disappointing result in their last game so we weren’t sure which team we’d come up against. We started really well in the first half and personally I thought we were the better team.

“The second half killed us though, and there were too many mistakes at vital times. As you watch from the sidelines, you can’t fault the effort from the lads as they gave everything, but at this level it’s about the errors that you make.

“We’d be in a position where we give a penalty away or not finish a set correctly, and then we’d end up defending our try line two minutes later.

“We need to understand that it only takes a few key things that can affect how the game goes.”

Meanwhile, the club issued a statement regarding planning for the future following the confirmation of their relegation last weekend.

“We have every confidence in the coaching staff, and plans are already well underway to assemble the most competitive squad possible for the 2020 season,” said the statement.

“The recentlyappointed board of directors have committed to reviewing the progress of the club in September, and we are focused as a collective on building a strong Rochdale culture at Hornets.

“That will be based around hard work, high standards, local talent and establishing a proper pathway for young players from college to amateurs to the professional game.

“Off the field, we are actively working with current, old and new sponsors to get behind the club as it looks to the future. In the short-term, we still have some mouth-watering fixtures to look forward to in 2019, including our ‘Be Inspired’event at the forthcoming home game with Leigh Centurion.

“There are some challenges that lie ahead but plenty of optimism moving forward.”