Hornets looking to build on fine start
Thornton’s men return home to take on Hunslet with unbeaten records on the line
ROCHDALE Hornets head coach Gary Thornton will urge his side to build on the momentum of an opening day away win when they entertain Hunslet tomorrow.
The Hornets return home tomorrow as Dean Muir’s side visit the Crown Oil Arena with the two teams putting their unbeaten starts on the line, the visitors having won 48-12 at home to Newcastle Thunder in Round 1.
Thornton was full of praise for the way his side found a way over the line to win their Betfred League 1 opener at Midlands Hurricanes on Sunday.
Having raced into an early 16-0 lead, the Hornets were forced to dig deep as a resurgent Midlands outfit fought back to make it 22-22.
A try shortly after the hour mark from Duane Straugheir put the Hornets back in front, before Jonny Openshaw scored the second of his two tries on debut to stretch the advantage.
Joe Hartley got in on the act not long after, and not even a late try from the home side could deny the
Hornets a first league victory of the season.
Thornton said: “We have been focusing our pre-season preparations on a good start to the League 1 campaign, so it was really important to come away with a win on Sunday,” he said. “Midlands have recruited well this year and it’s a tough place to go, so we knew we had to be good on the day to beat them.
“We started the game really well and scored some decent tries on the back of solid defence. We knew Midlands would have a purple patch as they are a well organised, determined and welldrilled team, and they never go away.
“When they pegged us back to 22-22 the game was in the balance, and losing Riddy [Martyn Ridyard] to a calf injury, we needed to show some real mental toughness, resilience and character to go on and win the game.
“It’s always a boost to confidence getting a win on day one, but we must back it up in the weeks to come if we are to achieve our potential.”
Hunslet boss Muir is aware of the tough task facing his team.
“You don’t win the League in the first four weeks.” he said. “But it’s important to get a good position early on – this is a big game against a very good side with plenty of experience, but we are raring to go.
“They are a well organised team, love to attack and are aggressive. They are the opposite of us as in we have a young squad of average age 24 and they have gone with experience. We’ve studied Rochdale and they have a real left edge threat that we’ll have to be wary of.”
Tickets are now on sale for tomorrow’s game against Hunslet online at hornetsrugbyleague.com Adults - £17, Concessions - £12, Students - £7, U16’s - Free. Tickets can also be purchased on gameday from the ticket office in the Main Stand.
As last weekend was the first time both the Hornets and Rochdale AFC enjoyed wins on the same weekend since May 2022, Hornets are giving supporters 10 per cent off tickets for their next five home games using the code “DOUBLEDALE” at the checkout.