Chance missed
IT was a great start to life in the second division but we are disappointed with how February has ended after back-to-back home defeats.
We spoke of how the Hull KR game was there for the taking last week, and in the bigger picture the fact that we pushed the league favourites all the way was a positive.
However, it was a defeat and a huge chance missed to claim a famous victory for the club.
I asked for a response from the lads when we faced Halifax, as I thought there was plenty of room for improvement, but that’s something I feel like I didn’t get.
As there are in most games we took some positives, as I thought our defence was outstanding throughout.
They had a number of repeat sets on our line in a period when we had 11 men on the field, but we kept them out and only conceded once when we were two men down.
We were defending our line for our lives, it was just disappointing that our attacking play didn’t match up. We made too many errors in good positions and our last tackle options throughout the game were poor.
The Halifax halfback Scott Murrell was brilliant with the boot and got his players out of trouble a number of times, and also piled the pressure on us with his kicking game.
That is something we didn’t get from our halfbacks and that’s something they will be working hard on in training to improve.
This week we may make some changes to the squad, as I feel as though it is an opportunity to freshen up the group as we look for a response.
Also, there are some players on the fringes who deserve a spot and will have the chance to fight for a jersey on Sunday.
Miles Greenwood will be the one definite absence, as he is still recovering from an abdominal injury and this is probably a game or two too soon.
Featherstone are probably going to be in the top two come the end of the season, so we know it is going to be a huge task this weekend.
Not many teams will pick up points against them, never mind on their patch, so our backs will be against the wall.
We have nothing to lose though, and after two disappointing defeat the lads will be desperate to prove a point, so the tag of underdogs will probably work in our favour.
The lads who make the trip will go there and give everything to try and bring two points home, just as we do every week, and we are looking forward to the challenges that Sunday will bring.
We hope to hear our vocal travelling support once again, as it really does lift the lads when they can hear the cries of their supporters above the home crowd.
Last week we kicked off our JETS campaign as children aged between 12 and 16 joined us for two days during the school holidays to improve their rugby league skills. Not only were our coaching staff on hand to mentor the kids, we also had staff from Super League club Warrington Wolves to pass on their knowledge.
It was a great opportunity for the kids to show off their ability to the Wolves and the two-day event was a huge success which all of the team thoroughly enjoyed..