St Helens will make history this season, but Eamon O’Carroll believes it is down to his players whether they are hailed or ridiculed.
The Red Vee currently sit in seventh spot in Super League, two points off the play-offs after a defeat to York Knights over the weekend.
With just six games remaining, they look like the team that could be set to miss out, in what would be the first time that has occurred in the competition’s 30-year history.
A seventh-place finish would also be the worst-ever finishing position for Saints in the summer era, so interim boss O’Carroll knows that the pressure is on to keep their run of finals football going.
If they do manage to sneak into the six, it would be an incredible achievement, with the countless injuries, huge adversity with coaches and an overall lack of consistency this season making for a tumultuous year.
That being said, the history books won’t remember that; it will only see the final finishing position, and if Saints are outside the six come round 27, it will be deemed as a huge failure.
That pressure has been turned into motivation, with O’Carroll using it as a rallying call this week in an attempt to gee his players up as they approach the run-in.
He told the press this week: “I spoke to the group at the beginning of the week and said, whether we like it or not this year, we’ll create a bit of history for our club, and we’ll either be the group that missed out on the playoffs for the first time in its history, or we’ll be the group that makes the playoffs when no one else gives them a chance.
“We’ve got a decision to make, and the boys took that message on board. Hopefully, we’ll see that within our actions. Actions speak louder than words.”
Whilst Saints will need to significantly improve their performances, they will also need to rely on a little bit of luck, with results around them going in their favour.
“We’re only in control of us, aren’t we?” O’Carroll said. “That’s all we can do. We don’t want to look too far ahead.
“I think if we focus on our performance, and tidy some things up, not only that, show the lads the good stuff that they’re doing as well and try to bridge that gap a little bit, the results will come.
“Obviously, the sooner [the results come] the better. We won’t shy away from that, but we can’t look too far ahead because we’ll lose sight of what’s happening now.”
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Eamon O’Carroll talks Steve Prescott MBE as Hull FC clash previewed
This week, the Saints take on Hull FC at the Brewdog Stadium, in a game that puts together two very out-of-form sides.
With so few games left of the campaign, O’Carroll was asked this week how much of a ‘must-win’ this game is.
“It’s important. We’ve referenced that as a group, but we’re more looking at our performance.
“I think over the last two games, for large periods of the game, we’ve had an effort, which is great. That’s something that we want to hunt.
“When we’ve hurt ourselves, we’ve hurt ourselves big. I think particularly last week against York, I think our discipline and our execution defensively really let us down.
“We know we’re going to have to make a vast improvement in those areas to give ourselves the best opportunity to perform at our best on Thursday.”
Neither side need any extra motivation this week, with icon of the sport, Steve Prescott MBE, being the focal point of both sides’ drives for victory this week.
Prescott featured for both clubs across his esteemed career, before he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in 2006.
In 2013, after a long and brave battle, Prescott died, and from 2014 onwards, Super League’s Man of Steel trophy was named after him.
Since his death, Saints and FC have battled it out for the Steve Prescott Trophy, which will once again be on offer for the winner this week.
“I’m really glad that you’ve mentioned [Prescott],” O’Carroll said to the press. “I think it’s an important one for both clubs and certainly one that we recognise as well.
“He was a huge figure in the game, Steve, and everyone loved and respected him. We want to do that justice on Thursday, as will Hull.”
