After defeat in the 1895 Cup against a strong Oldham side, Kyle Trout gave his opinion as to where it went wrong for his side before speaking on the upcoming fixture against Whitehaven (April 26th 3pm).
Trout was positive about the side’s first-half performance in Oldham and was proud about the account the lads gave of themselves but ultimately felt the team tired due to the pace of the game.
He commented, “I think we ran out of juice to be honest – emotionally and physically. The lads knew we only went with sixteen (players) and a couple of bodies didn’t get through big stints at all. It just puts you under the pump, particularly around the ruck.
But for the lads to go, backs against the wall, and show what we’re about in terms of the trouble we caused (Oldham) and the threat we posed at times I’m really happy with it and I’m really proud of the group.
We know we need to be better and there’s plenty of things we can take from it to stick in our game. If we can go and challenge Oldham – regardless of only having sixteen – trying to play how we want to play and score some good points against them, you give yourself the chance to be more confident and give ourselves some self-belief.”
Shifting the focus to this weekend’s test again Whitehaven, Trout spoke about how the trip to Cumbria could be a positive and how his team can cause the opposition problems. Whitehaven were defeated by Goole over the weekend, with Trout keeping an eye on the opposition.
He said, “There are areas we will highlight to players after the captain’s run and some areas of focus and players of focus we will talk about.
It’s a different environment (travelling to Whitehaven) and its good in a way. You get to spend plenty of time together and you can create a good atmosphere. It can create a bit of pressure that you don’t want a poor performance and then have to sit on the bus back together after a defeat.
Everyone has got strengths; everyone has got weaknesses. There are areas that we have looked at and we will preview it tomorrow and show some of their traits.
We’re very focused on the environment we’re trying to create. Our system doesn’t change dependant on who we’re playing.
They are a very big, physical team and it is an opportunity for us to right some wrongs.
I’m looking forward to it; it’s a big game for both of us.”
In terms of team news, the squad looks to be in good shape this weekend with the club announcing on Thursday the two permanent signings of Ant Walker and Jayden Hatton, with Trout hopeful of being able to name a nineteen-man squad.
He stated, “It will give us a couple of bodies in transition and some hands down there, but it will also give us a couple of tough conversations, which isn’t an enjoyable part of the job. There have been times over the past four or five weeks where we haven’t had competition for places and although it is only in certain positions, it’s a step in the right direction for us as a group.
We’ve been trying really hard and we have done since day one to bring people who we think fit. It’s day one of a new system and culture of how we want to be seen on and off the pitch.
I’m sure whoever we do bring in will thrive in our system.”
Squad
