Club of the Week: Hunslet
Hunslet head coach Barry Eaton believes his players have got the fight to get out of relegation trouble.
After 20 games the Hawks are currently 13th in the Kingstone Press Championship table, with only four league wins all season.
Last Sunday Hunslet showed great character to fight back from a 28-6 half-time deficit to get within two points of drawing with opponents Barrow.
Eaton says that the never-say-die attitude they showed against the Raiders will continue, but more importantly that it will produce wins.
“We always knew it would be a tough season for the club,” explained the former Wales international.
“The Championship is a very competitive league and we have suffered due to key players missing games through injury.
“No matter what though, the team has always showed a lot of fight and desire, and when you are struggling near the bottom of the league it is all about giving yourselves the chance to win in a game.
“We have done that on many occasions and shown we are capable of winning. Unfortunately we have not been able to secure as many points as we would have liked – but that will change.”
One positive for the Hawks this season has been the blistering form of prop Andy Yates, who has impressive enough to convince Leeds Rhinos to sign him on a two-year contract.
Eaton says the former St Helens forward has been the stand-out player at the South Leeds Stadium this year.
He said, “He has got a lot of raw talent, and also the driving ambition to back it up. He was determined to get back in Super League at the start of the season and he has progressed further with every game.”
While Yates will be playing in Super League next season, Hunslet will be playing Championship One rugby league if they do not get themselves out of the ill-fated bottom two positions.
“I’ll take anything from now until the end of the season, if we play badly but get a scrappy 81st minute drop-goal to win, I’ll be happy,” declared Eaton.
“Winning is the only issue now, not how we go about it.”
To win tickets to Hunslet’s next home Kingstone Press Championship match, against Leigh on Sunday 28th July, click here.
Kingstone Press Cider has teamed up with LoveRugbyLeague to celebrate all things great about the rugby league Championships. For the rest of the season, ‘Championing the Championships’ campaign will put a weekly spotlight on each Championship and Championship 1 club to focus on their most memorable moments, look back at the clubs heroes and reward the loyal fans. Read more.