Watson: 'Our focus hasn't changed, we still have to win games.'

On Thursday afternoon, Head Coach Ian Watson sat down to address the press and preview this Saturday’s game vs Hull KR this Saturday, KO 3pm.
 
‘We didn’t really see it coming so it’s disappointing but it’s out of our control, the club and Marwan are dealing with that, what they decide to do is up to them. We’ve got to focus on the rugby side and all that we’ve previously been working on so our focus is on Hull KR.
 
‘I don’t think it’s difficult at all, it’s made our job a little bit harder but it’s a challenge for us. We know where we want to go and what we want to achieve. For us, we’ve said nothing changes, we’ve got to focus on winning games which is what we had to do anyway regardless of a points deduction. That’s where we’re channeling all our energy.
 
‘Our big focus is taking each game as it comes at the moment, making sure we pick the wins up and not worrying about the other teams, not fearing anyone that we come up against. We’ve got a good group of players and a good team, if we look at what we do well then we’ll pick wins up and we’ll still be in a healthy position come the end of the season.
 
‘The players have pulled together really well. They’re all of the same opinion that they have no control over what’s going on so leave the club to deal with that. We focus on our job, the players are paid to play rugby and that’s their focus and we don’t want to be sidetracked by anything else. Everything else will get taken care of.
 
‘It’s a rare situation for any team but you see people’s characters at times like this, in a bit of adversity, it’s a challenge and you can use it to motivate and inspire you as an individual. You’ve worked really hard to get where you are and been set back but there’s no point sulking about it, it’s what we do next to go forward from here. How do we do that? We take each game as it comes and focus on ourselves to get the results.
 
‘I don’t want to comment on the situation and I don’t really think anyone else should until they know the full facts of it. Obviously everyone will have their opinions and it’s up to them if they want to stand up and put them out there but I’d rather keep quiet about it focus on my job and I think other people should to.
 
 
‘The players are in a good place, unless you’re inside it you don’t really see it but they’ve accepted what’s gone on and they’re positive moving forward. Until any of that changes it’s business as usual to us.
 
‘Saturday’s game against Hull KR is a must win game, it’s a big game but now every game is important to everyone. It’s a big game for us and we’re looking forward to that challenge.
 
‘We’ve got to learn from last time we played Hull KR and rectify the performance we put in that day. If you look at our performance that day it was a complete contrast to the games before and following it. We’ve got to control the ball and defend better and then we’re confident we’ll come away with the victory.
 
‘I think people can often use things as excuses for losing games but I think certain things do play on people’s minds but we try and take all that away. It’s up to us on the day to play well and perform well.
 
‘We’ve looked at Hull KR when they’ve been at their best this season and we need to learn from last time we played them to see where they did well to combat our sle and the way we play. If we fix that up I’m sure we’ll be confident in the game.
 
‘Tommy Lee is a huge bonus for us to have back for the game. Just his talk and leadership on the field is fantastic.
 
‘Josh Griffin has recovered well all his scans were clear, he’s having a great season and he’s a danger to teams. It’s important for us to have him in the side because of that but also to make sure we’re consistent. He’s been getting better, he needs to play every week.
 
‘Josh Wood, to be fair is doing better than we thought but he’s just got to be careful. Hopefully it isn’t as bad as first seemed.
 
‘We were worried about Weller at the beginning of the season because he’d broke down again with his injury but his operation has fixed him up. He looks as strong as ever and I know in my time here he’s not looked as good as he does. He’s strong, he’s quick and he just adds another dimension to our squad. Hopefully he can remain fit it’ll be great because he’s worked really hard off field, which is the thing people don’t see and he deserves that.
 
‘Vidot is coming along nicely, I wouldn’t want to put a time limit on it potentially within the next month. He’s on the field with us but we need to put him through some more match contact. Once he comes through that he’ll be good to go.’