Joel Tomkins rues Catalans Dragons dumb decisions but admits improved efforts in Leigh Leopards defeat

Catalans Dragons interim coach Joel Tomkins rued his side’s dumb decision following their defeat against Leigh Leopards. 

However, he was pleased with the improvements he saw with the team’s effort and attitude.

It was probably the Dragons best performance of the season so far, but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory as they went down 26-12 to the Leopards.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Tomkins was in two minds about how he felt about the loss.

He said: “Yeah, much improved. Obviously, we’re not happy with the result and not happy with large elements of the game.

“I thought one thing that was much improved was our effort and attitude. Our application at times during the game, we need to improve, just some dumb decisions, really, attacking and defensively.

“We asked for a better attitude and more effort this week, and I certainly think that we got that.”

When asked to clarify which decisions he was referring to, he thought it was both in attack and defence, especially after such a solid start to the game.

He added: “Just some of our decisions, we went 26 minutes in the first half without an error, which is probably the best start to a game we’ve had all season.

“That gave us some energy. Just towards the back end of each half, decisions with the ball and then defensively, coming out of system, trying to kill plays and not quite making those tackles.

“There’s a lot for us to work on; we will look at the positives, but certainly not happy with the performance.”

Catalans Dragons boss on momentum shifts and playing for the badge

Catalans Dragons were in a close game, scoring just after half time to draw 12-12. Winger Tommy Makinson then missed a penalty that would’ve taken them ahead for the first time in the match.

When asked if that swung the momentum of the game, the Dragons boss said: “Goalkicking in rugby league is probably an afterthought sometimes, and tonight, we probably got taught a little bit of a lesson.

“The momentum shifted after the second penalty miss. It shifts within games, but happy with the effort, which is a big thing for us tonight.”

Whilst he wasn’t thrilled with the loss, the Catalans Dragons coach said he was pleased that his side had moved on from their thumping against Hull KR last week and turned over a new leaf.

He finished: “We had to improve on last week’s performance, I think it would’ve been impossible not to improve.

“I challenged them as men before the game. I said: “Look, as a group of men, we’ve got to go out on the field today and regain a bit of pride in the badge and individually”.

“Last week at Hull KR, we walked off that field embarrassed, and this week, we’ve probably gained a little bit of pride, but we’ve got a way to go before we’ll be anywhere near where we need to be.”

Défaite. pic.twitter.com/Ka6RBwFofX

— Dragons Catalans (@DragonsOfficiel) June 21, 2025