Smith: We must compete and complete
HULL KR coach Tony Smith has highlighted the fact his side needs to be smarter against a quality Catalans outfit.
The Robins’ attack has stuttered in recent weeks and finding points has not been easy to come by, something that won’t get much easier this week against Grand Final contenders the Dragons.
The Rovers boss was full of praise for today’s opponents and discussed the rivalry the two clubs have formed since Smith has been in charge of the Robins.
“They’re a really good team,” said Smith. “Catalans are one of the top teams in the competition for a reason and have been for the past few seasons.
“It’s going to be a difficult match for sure. We’ve had some really tight contests with them over the years. Hopefully, we can do that again and get over the top of them.”
After the past few weeks, the Rovers coach admitted his team is low on confidence and explained that his side needs to get back to basics to kickstart their season.
“Compete and complete. That’s the big issue this weekend,” Smith continued.
“I think we’ve been one of those teams that they’ve come unstuck against at times, and we’ve given them some tough matches.
“We want to come out on the right side this week and can use the previous encounters to our advantage.”
Smith’s forward pack has also come under heavy scrutiny over the past few weeks.
Still, the Rovers boss insisted it wasn’t through the lack of trying and that with the returning trio of Albert Vete, Elliot Minchella and Frankie Halton, they have a great chance to get back to their best this weekend.
“We’d like to be better,” he added. “Our pack are hard-working and an honest bunch of lads. We want to get back to dominating and playing with energy, and it’s a great chance to do that against a big pack like Catalans this weekend with the fresh bodies we have at our disposal.
“We understand we’ve got to be better this week for sure as they have experience all around the park and have some worldclass players.
“Catalans are a big unit all over, so we will have to be wise on getting around the field and working their middle men.”