Yesterday the headline in the Challenge Cup was Widnes Vikings’ shock defeat to League One side Dewsbury Rams.
Speaking after the game, coach John Kear was not happy at all describing it as a mystery on the club’s YouTube Channel:
“It’s a mystery at the minute. I thought we lacked resilience, I thought online defence was very very soft. I thought with the ball we looked a little clueless on their line.
“It’s just been a really poor performance and I don’t think that we respected the opposition as we should have done.
“They’re used to playing on a field like this, they know how to play a field like this and they’ve give us a schooling to tell you the truth.
“They showed us how to play, on the opposition line, with some lovely little ruck plays that obviously came up from trumps for them.”
He then sent a warning to his players, saying no one’s place is safe:
“It may well be that I need to have a good look at the half-backs because obviously Danny Craven has been missing. We haven’t had Tom Gilmore all season, so it’s been a struggle there.
“Perhaps we need to have a real look at that but we’ve just spoken in there that nobodies’ place is assured.
“We’ve got to re-energise because the last two performances have been flat, we’ve lacked energy, we’ve lacked enthusiasm and other teams have outworked us.
“I thought Newcastle outworked us and certainly today Dewsbury outworked us. Our effort areas have been shocking.
“There’s instances where we’d got Ant Walker making half a break and he was getting his hand free and there’s nobody pushing up to support. You contrast that with one of Dewsbury’s tries, they make half a break and there’s three or four players flooding around them.
“That’s mindset and it’s effort and it’s enthusiasm, all of which they were better than us.
“When we scored and made it 12 a piece I think they all thought ‘everything is going to be alright’. Well my players might have thought that but obviously the opposition players didn’t and they just stepped up a gear and we couldn’t answer it.
“We’ve lost to what was a better team, and a better team by far today, and it’s just been a real poor performance.”
When asked what he can do to change things, Kear simply said: “Change some of the players!
“We’re going to see some changes. I mean I’ve had Lewis Hatton sat on the sideline, hopefully Jordan Johnstone has passed his head test. Danny Craven will be coming back.
“There’s one easy riposte and as I say I’m going to ring around Super League clubs and see if there’s anybody available.
“It is. They’re the words we’ve used in the changing room. It’s a missed opportunity. Playing at Wembley is a dream and they just didn’t pursue that dream with enough vigour and effort. It’s been very disappointing.”
