Catalans Dragons boss Steve McNamara bemoaned his side’s ill-discipline following the Dragons’ 20-12 victory over Salford Red Devils in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The Dragons found themselves in a 4-0 lead in the first minutes following Nick Cotric’s try followed by Arthur Romano’s effort after 20 minutes to double their lead.
Following Elliott Whitehead’s sin-binning in the 26th minute, Salford pulled the deficit to two through Joe Shorrocks’ try and Chris Hankinson’s conversion.
However, Catalans were too strong for the Red Devils and quick tries from Whitehead and Theo Fages in the first 10 minutes of the second half all but sealed the victory for the home side.
Whilst the Catalans Dragons coach was happy with the win, he was disappointed with his team’s discipline throughout the game across the board.
Speaking to the press after the match, McNamara said: “I think it was the most ill-disciplined performance of the year by ourselves. I don’t just mean in terms of penalties, I mean in terms of respecting the ball, and our defensive line not moving up.
“We looked a completely different team from what we looked like last week against St Helens.”
However, he was happy to be in the pot for the semi-final draw on Sunday, especially considering the Dragons’ recent Challenge Cup form.
He added: “I’m really happy, it’s been a long time since we’ve been to a semi-final.
“Obviously, 2018 was the year we won it and we’ve not managed to get there since.
“It’s great to get to the semi-final, it’s been too long since we’ve been there and now we’ll get an opportunity again to try and get to the Challenge Cup Final.
“It’s one of the greatest memories of this club so hopefully we get a chance to get to Wembley again.”
After a rough start to the season, the Dragons are starting to find their feet in 2025 and McNamara is pleased with the effort that his side has been displaying, especially in recent weeks.
He finished: “It’s been a huge effort from us, to get back into some form.
“We lost the first three games of the season, we had to really invest a lot of effort and energy into getting back for some wins on the board.
“The boys need to have a rest now to recuperate and get themselves ready for our next big challenge at Huddersfield next week.”
Catalans Dragons are back in Super League action next week as they travel to Huddersfield on Sunday 13th April.
The game will be live on Super League+ and Sky Sports+ with a 3pm kick-off.
