Finn up for the cup
Featherstone half-back Liam Finn says a winning start is of paramount importance to the club as they begin their Carnegie Challenge Cup campaign against Hunslet Old Boys at The BigFellas Stadium on Sunday March 26 (2.00pm).
Finn was part of the Rovers side that fell to a 70-0 defeat at St Helens in last season’s competition and the Irish international believes victory against the Conference League side will be the first step to help put the pain of that defeat to one side.
“Personally, I love playing in the cup,” said Finn. “It’s still the top competition in the country and every club dreams of winning it and that’s what makes it so tough.
“Last season we lost to St Helens and they taught us a lot of lessons. As a side we want to make up for that result and put another good cup run together this year.
“Before we can think about that we’ve got a tough game in this round. Hunslet may be an amateur side but we know no team can be under-estimated. You can’t afford to slack off against any of these sides as they all have some very impressive players who could make the step up if given the opportunity so we can’t take anything lightly.
“Siddal are my local side and I know they’re going into their game against Swinton confident that they can get a good result after what has been a tough few weeks for the club.
“But we know if we progress we have the chance to draw Super League opposition though and that’s a big motivation factor for us.”
Featherstone have a proud tradition in the Cup, having lifted the famous trophy aloft in victory on three occasions, but having last made an appearance in the final in 1983, Finn knows how important a good cup run will be to the fans.
“It’s always good to play in a different competition with a different focus and it’s a different type of challenge for us when it comes to the cup,” said Finn.
“There are a lot of reference to the club’s history in the competition around the ground and obviously the achievements of the past were massive and we want to do our bit to do the club proud and keep that strong tradition going.
“A good cup run would be a huge boost for the fans and we’d all love to get off to a winning start to repay their support of us.”
Tickets for the Carnegie Challenge Cup Third Round fixture Hunslet Old Boys v Featherstone Rovers at The BigFellas Stadium on Sunday March 25 (2.00pm) cost from Adult £10 Concession £5 Children £3.
Tickets details for all Third Round fixtures can be seen here http://therfl.co.uk/news/article/24637/challenge-cup—third-round