Kingstone Press Championship Preview: Doncaster v Hunslet Hawks
Doncaster coach Gary Thornton admitted it’s getting harder and harder as the weeks go by without a win for his team.
“The more games that go by without a win, the tougher it’s going to be to get one,” he said.
“We’ve just got to keep going and try and stay as positive as possible but it’s getting more and more difficult.
“There were some encouraging signs last week but not enough of them. We were chasing the game all the time, being 30 points behind is a big deficit to make up when you’re not playing particularly well. But it’s been the pattern for the last three or four games I’ve been in charge. It’s disappointing but we’re trying to stay as focused and positive as possible
Looking ahead to Sunday’s match against Hunslet Hawks he said: “It will be a test of Barry’s squad this Sunday. They had a tough day against Bradford and then had to back up against Leigh in midweek so we’re hoping that will work in our favour.
“But we can’t take anything for granted and rely on what other teams are going to do, we have to think about what we’ve got to do.
“Whilst it will test Barry’s resources quite heavily, we’ve got to concentrate on our own jobs and make sure we perform as we should do. Who knows, with Hunslet having had a tough week, it might be the one where we get our win.”
Following the defeat to Leigh Centurions on Wednesday, Hunslet Hawks will be playing their third game in seven days on Sunday.
Coach Barry Eaton said: “We have planned accordingly. We haven’t had many players that will have played both Sunday and Wednesday and again on Sunday and the ones that do, we try to limit how much game time they actually have.
“As well as Sunday being a big game against Doncaster, there’s a player welfare issue as well for my part-time players.
“If I’m absolutely honest I’m not concerned with Doncaster in terms of where they are in the league and whether they’ve won a game or not, our focus is on Hunslet and preparing correctly, picking the right side and playing to our optimum standard at the weekend. If that’s good enough for a victory, then brilliant.”