Craig Lingard proud of Sheffield Eagles resilience ahead of Workington Town clash
Craig Lingard says Sheffield Eagles need to keep up their momentum as they prepare to face Workington Town
Sheffield Eagles head coach Craig Lingard is proud of the efforts shown by his side in last weekend's almost victory against Widnes Vikings, and knows they need to keep that momentum to face Workington Town this weekend.
With a 16-12 loss to Widnes Vikings, whilst having three injuries throughout the game, and plenty of players missing from the squad due to prior injuries, the Eagles put up a tough and respectable effort. Eagles head coach Craig Lingard knows exactly the progress and improvements his side has been making since their earlier rough defeats from the last few months. He said, “I'm immensely proud of the effort they’ve put in there today. We were massively depleted in bodies, with a lot of people out of position.
“We played against a really top side, with them playing at home. Being 10-nil down at the start of the game, and then coming ahead before half-time, and then having three people off the field at the same time with HIAs, our players were just filling the hole defensively.
“The way we got through that period of the game, I thought they were outstanding. There's no doubt that there are quality players in the squad, it’s just sometimes we have to make sure that when things don’t go right, we can show attitude, determination and resilience. At times over the last few months, that perhaps has not quite been there, but today the boys just dug in. They had their backs to the wall.
“We’ve talked about trying to create a siege mentality with everything that's going on. And there are two things you can do. You can come out swinging, or you can cower down and get beaten. But they came out swinging today. I think it's a chance loss for us as well. Despite all the adversity that we've had, I think we're disappointed that we've not won the game.”
Coming ahead just before the game hit half-time, despite conceding two tries early into the fixture, the Eagles’ resilience was well on display for all supporters, which is something Craig believes sets a new tone for the rest of the South Yorkshire sides’ season.
“It's massive. And that's what the guys have talked about there. That's a standard now, that's the line in the sand, and there's no excuse to come back from that.
“We've sort of talked about some other teams that maybe on paper haven't got the quality of players as what we've had, but what they've shown is the work rate and the determination just to keep in the contest.
“We have to have that set mentality that we are a hard-to-beat team, and at times, so far this season, we've not had that. But certainly today, I thought they showed a lot of that.”
He added, “We had people in and out of positions. It was just crazy at times up there, when all three went off at the same time, and you’re trying to move bodies around and two of them are your halfbacks, and you've got three nines on the field at the same time. It's a little bit difficult, and then it can all go wrong, but you just need to complete your sets and defend tough and physically. “
Kai Morgan has been one of the Eagles’ standout players so far this season, working effectively with Lennie Ellis last weekend as the two young halves slotted in to lead the team from the back. But with an unfortunate HIA near the end of the fixture, a game without Kai will be in the cards for this weekend’s fixture up in Cumbria. Commenting on this injury, Craig remarked, “We can’t go against the medical protocol, but Kai is unhappy. He said it wasn’t a head knock; he just got hit in the back.
“But I guess staying down as he did, he gave the doctor an opportunity to take him off. He doesn’t understand how or why he’s failed, but that’s the medical protocol, and we have to adhere to that. And unfortunately, due to this, Kai will be missing next week, and it’s touch and go whether he is ready for the Halifax game on the following Friday.”
Further on the topic of Kai Morgan and Lennie Ellis, Craig added, “They’re still young kids that are developing, and it's difficult for a young kid to come out and get a grip of the game at times, when you’re still learning yourself.
“Ultimately, that’s what senior players want, they don’t care whether you’re 18 or 33, a middle just wants to be told what to do and where and how. Hopefully, we can get Jordan Abdull back, and then we can develop these young half-backs around him.”
With this weekend’s clash in Cumbria against Workington Town comes an opportunity for the Eagles to return to winning momentum and build on the class and resilience showcased by the side last weekend. Craig acknowledged this when he said, “Now it's our job to make sure that attitude, determination and desperation that we showed today are there next week, and every week after that.
“We know there are always going to be peaks and troughs in how we play and the performances, but what should never be questioned is the attitude and effort. And I thought they showed that today.
“They had a bit of fight in them, and that is what we want. We want to be a hard-to-beat team. And we've been that at times this year, and we've not been that at times this year, and we've got to be more consistent.”