DANNY MCGUIRE MAKES NO EXCUSES WITH HULL KR ACTING AS OWN WORST ENEMY

Hull KR assistant coach Danny McGuire re-iterated the thoughts of his boss Willie Peters after Rovers' 26-12 defeat to Catalans Dragons. Tries from Tom Davies, Julian Bousquet and a hattrick from Tom Johnstone continued the Dragons' 100% start to Super League 2022. For Rovers, it's now three-straight defeats, and they now sit seventh on the Super League ladder.

Although he watched Frankie Halton, Jordan Abdull, and Dean Hadley leave the field prematurely, he knew Rovers didn't help themselves even with the adversity they were shown.

"I don't think we played the conditions well and didn't play smart," said McGuire. "We can use the HIA's as excuses. However, nobody makes errors on purpose and nobody goes into a carry wanting to knock on.

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"We gave away some penalties and let the pressure off Catalans being too quick with our line speed. We didn't create enough pressure, and other situations didn't help. We kept fighting, and that's the positive.

"I don't think that (effort) was the case. We are a dogged team who are determined. We have a great set of lads who want to do the club and badge justice. You could see that scoring with 20 seconds to go.

"There were a few contributing factors to the loss. Catalans are a well-disciplined team, and they got a few breakaway tries. A scrappy try from the kick. Apart from that, I don't think they troubled us that much."

Tom Johnstone's second try was a controversial one, as the naked eye showed a Catalans defender to have tapped the ball down before the winger raced away. McGuire and his coaching staff were visibly frustrated but won't blame that sole call for the defeat.

"Yeah, it was a knock-on. It was a knockdown, and the touch judge was metres away. I don't know how he didn't see it but you get some and you lose some. We had to roll with it."

Rovers' flight from Leeds/Bradford set off 30 minutes later than planned, plus the visibility of the Perpignan runway led to the plane being in the air for another 20. Rovers had plans to use a local facility before the game but instead went to the ground and had a stroll around the Stade Gilbert Brutus area to have a coffee and leg stretch.

Questioned whether or not that impacted Rovers' preparation, McGuire was honest in his response and looked ahead to next week's trip to Wakefield Trinity. As the Robins could welcome back some key personnel.

"We had no excuses with the travel," McGuire continued. "We got here a little earlier, but the preparation was fine, and we had plenty of time to get ready. I think Kane Linnett could be back for us next week. Matty Storton has some trouble with his toe, but we will see.

"Matt Parcell, Jimmy Keinhorst, Luis Johnson, Will Tate all are options. We get on with it, and it's not ideal losing three players. We want our best players on the field, but that's what a squad is for."

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2023-03-19T14:41:40Z dg43tfdfdgfd