Preview: Dewsbury v Featherstone

Rams coach Warren Jowitt will demand a major improvement from his troops when they host Featherstone Rovers on Sunday.

Last week Dewsbury beat amateurs Drighlington 42-10 in the Carnegie Challenge Cup but Jowitt was unimpressed.

He said: “I’m quite sure the players will improve. After the game they were brassed off with themselves.

“I wasn’t happy as a coach, and they weren’t happy as a group of players. We’ll need to be a lot better against Featherstone but I’m sure we’ll get a response.”

Alex Bretherton, Rob Spicer and Scott Watson are all two to three weeks away from returning to first team action.

Kyle Briggs (dead leg) and Iain Morrison will both be given a late fitness test before Featherstone coach Daryl Powell names his side.

The pair suffered minor knocks during Rovers’ 74-0 romp against Workington but Powell is hopeful that both will be fit to play on Sunday.

Powell has asked his team to continue their recent good form. He said: “We’ve got bags of self belief, and so we should have. It will stand us in good stead in the coming weeks.”