Wakefield stars must respond for Chester, says Finn
HULL KR prop Nick Scruton suffered nightmares about the damage Mase Masoe once did to him so he is now relieved to see the giant front-row on his side.
The hulking New Zealander came off the bench to make his debut in Sunday’s narrow 26-22 Qualifiers win over Halifax.
Masoe, who won the 2014 Grand Final with St Helens before returning to the NRL, is one of the biggest players in the sport.
Scruton said: “He wasn’t happy with his first stint but his second he was pretty hard to handle.
“I’ve just been saying how we were training in the week, doing some drills and Mase was running at me then.
“But I’d been having nightmares about him before when he played for Saints and absolutely tumble-dried me playing for Wakefield.
“He is 100 per cent a player you want to play with rather than against.
“Hopefully now, if his shoulder’s not too bad, we can get him back on the field and he can just get better and better for us.”
Samoa international Masoe, 28, was injured after a “chicken wing” tackle by Ryan Boyle, the Halifax prop since charged with a Grade B dangerous contact.
Championship side Rovers, desperate to return to the topflight, looked set for a damaging opening defeat before Scruton charged in for a 72nd-minute try to snatch victory. The 32-yearold, a Super League winner with Leeds Rhinos before switching to Bradford Bulls, said: “That probably ranks as the most important try in my career so far.
“These games are massive for the club so to score the winning try and get us off to a good start…. we just couldn’t afford to lose that game… was special.”
Part-timers Halifax had surprisingly beaten KR in the final regular round of the season, only a third league defeat all year.
They were inspired again on Sunday by Scott Murrell, the exRobins stand-off who is a friend of Scruton’s and former Rhinos academy team-mate.
“If we’d have lost it would have been the end of my world 100 per cent as I wouldn’t have heard the end of it from him so I’m glad to get the two points,” he said.
“The last two weeks I’d not heard the end of it especially as my sister goes out with (Halifax player) Ben Kaye as well.”
Scruton, who joined from Wakefield despite KR’s relegation last season, was a driving force for Tim Sheens’ side as they turned things around in the second half.
“Tim said during the week in an interview that it’s time for the more experienced players who have Super League experience to stand up and be counted,” he said.
“That’s something I’ve taken personally; I know I need to be at my best for these seven games.
“When I play well the pack tends to follow me so I know I need to come up with probably the best seven games of my life and then hopefully we’ll get over the line (promotion).”
They visit Leigh Centurions on Saturday, the side who replaced them in Super League this term.
Scruton added: “Every game’s important but if we can win one against a Super League side so early it’s almost one foot in the door.
“Halifax was probably a decent marker and a good test for next week as Leigh are going to be similar – a big, physical side.
“But they will be better so we know we have to be a lot better, too.
“We know we can go over there and win as we did in the Challenge Cup earlier this year but there’s added pressure on both teams now and it’s who handles it better who will come out with the points.” WAKEFIELD TRINITY half-back Liam Finn admits he was taken aback by fuming head coach Chris Chester’s blast – but knew it was warranted.
Known as one of Super League’s more laid-back coaches, the 38-year-old was furious after Friday’s 36-6 Super 8s loss at Huddersfield Giants.
Chester questioned his players’ desire in the post-match press conference, adding he wouldn’t expect the club’s Under 16s to make the same sort of errors as his side did.
He promised some players would be dropped for Thursday’s game against Leeds Rhinos and Finn conceded: “He wasn’t happy. You could certainly tell that. You don’t really see that side of him often so it was a bit out of character.
“He didn’t really need to say anything – we weren’t happy with ourselves and knew we’d not played well – but he felt that was what he needed to do at the time.
“That’s his job. It’s up to him to decide what message he delivers and in what manner.”
They hope to make a swift return to form when secondplaced Leeds arrive at Belle Vue on Thursday.
Trinity have lost their last two games having also fallen badly at home to St Helens to miss out on a top-four place at the split.
Ireland captain Finn, 33, said: “We’ve played poorly in both and we need to fix it up.
“Everyone goes through a period where they don’t play well but we had a chance to get in the top-four on both occasions so it’s been like a double-whammy for us.
“We need to dig ourselves out of this so all our hard work this season is not undone.
“But we know Leeds are playing well; they’re running hard and tackling hard, working for each other and then have such top-quality players, too.
“We have to be really good to be competing with them and then we have to do our bits, too, to try and get those points.
“Ironically, we’ve not played well against them in either of our games this season yet now they’re the side we need to turn things around against.”
Wakefield could have Jacob Miller returning, the Australian half-back who was named in the 19-man squad at Huddersfield after a broken leg but did not actually feature on matchday.
Former Castleford player Finn said: “I don’t think he was quite ready last week and they left him out more as a precaution.
“I’m not sure what the case is now but I hope he is back as he is a big player for us. He helps me out and I like to think I help him out, too, as a half-back pairing.”
Both sides named their 19man squads today with Leeds hoping to see Rob Burrow return after shoulder surgery.