COOKIE’SCOLUMN Is it time for KR and Sheens to pick their battles to win matches?
TARGETING PARTICULAR GAMES COULD PAY DIVIDENDS FOR ROVERS
Hull KR are a battered and bruised team at present. The squad is decimated by injuries and last Friday night was only ending one way when I saw Rovers’ bench, and I in no way mean that disrespectfully to those who put their hand up to play for the Red and Whites.
With so many young players being called upon it’s very difficult in the big bad world that is Super League to compete physically for long enough to worry your opponents.
With the exceptionally gruelling Easter period almost upon us I find myself asking the question should KR and Tim Sheens be picking his battles in terms of winning games?
It’s such a tough question because we all want to see a competitive team weekly, yet
I’m simply unsure the Red and Whites at present have that within their depleted squad.
Like Danny Ward at London who made no fewer than eight changes for his team’s away trip to St Helens I ask should KR be looking to the weeks ahead rather than going as strong as possible to Saints who, with all due respect, would probably win even if the Robins were at full strength!
The Saints are simply red-hot. Last week’s demolition job on Castleford was pure class, the score-line reflected their dominance.
Ward and his London team made eight changes the following week after losing 26-0 at the Saints and beat the Leeds Rhinos away from home.
Picking his battle? Sending a team to Saints to lose but perform? But winning at Leeds made the defeat at Saints seem a distant memory!
With bodies on deck thin it may well not be possible for Sheens to make changes at all.
The situation is to maybe name his 17 fit players, a squad of 19 should he have that many available.
The Red and Whites were certainly secondbest last Friday against a Huddersfield team who were desperate to haul themselves off the bottom of the table.
It became all too easy for the Giants to roll their visitors down the field with their big,
physical players providing a platform for their half-backs to pick apart the KR defence.
A trip to Saints is likely to yield another loss, although expected.
The weeks ahead will be vital for the Red and Whites’ ambitions for the 2019 season. It will not be won or lost on a result against the best team in the competition at present.
Some tough times are ahead short term for KR, yet remaining calm and confident that it will turn is absolutely essential for everyone at the club.