IT’S the annual trip to Catalan Dragons this weekend. Is it one you enjoy?
Yes, I do.
It’s the chance for me to get out of the cooking and cleaning for a couple of days, and also means someone else can spend their time shouting at the kids!
Having said that, I suppose I’ll be having to deal with a different set of kids in the South of France for a couple of days, won’t I?
But at least I know it’ll be a productive time in Perpignan for all concerned.
As well as the game, this is a great opportunity to spend some quality time as a group.
It’ll be the chance to train in a different environment, spend time together as a group and give me more chance to speak to the players on a one-to-one basis on a whole range of rugby league matters.
And do you think the Dragons have been a useful addition to Super League?
Without a doubt.
They’re sports mad in the South of France, and that’s reflected in the level of interest in the Catalan Dragons down there.
There’s no doubt they’ve been great for rugby league in that part of the world, and we should applaud any organisation who can do that.
And I really enjoy the unique atmosphere their fans can generate.
To say they get behind their team is a massive understatement.
Brian McDermott (the Leeds Rhinos coach) got into trouble the other week for saying the Catalan crowd can influence some of the decisions made by the referees, and he may have a bit of a point.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance to play down there myself. I always seemed to miss out on those Catalan games in the early days.
But I would have liked to have experienced it for myself, because it is so different to anything we have over here.
I know the boys are looking forward to it themselves, so there’s no excuses on that front if we don’t play well.
In fact, there should be no excuses at all.
As I said, we’re going to be spending some quality time out there.
All being well, we’ll be there early afternoon today, which means we’ve got ample time to get used to our surroundings and the climate.
Having said that, the forecast this weekend is for rain, so we should be feeling at home anyway!
So what about the Catalan team. How highly do you rate them?
They’re a good team.
To be honest, I really like the way they play.
They’re a side who really challenge your honesty, and you can guarantee that if you switch off they exploit the weakness.
Over the years, they have become one of Super League’s most respected sides, with quality players throughout the squad.
You know that to return to England with the two Super League points, you’re going to need to play very, very well.
That’s what we intend to do.
One player who won’t be travelling to France is Luke George, who this week has joined Hull KR on a month’s loan. Is that the move he needs right now?
Definitely.
Everyone knows he’s been struggling for game-time and through no real fault of his own.
We’re lucky to have some quality depths in our outside backs at the moments, with wingers Jermaine McGillvary and Aaron Murphy both playing very well.
Matty Dawson has also played well when he’s had the chance, while Ben Blackmore and Jake Connor are also getting closer to be considered.
Dale Ferguson obviously went on loan to Hull KR a couple of months ago, because of the strong competition we had in our back row at the time and he was struggling to feature.
But since he’s come back he’s hardly looked back.
He’s virtually been playing the full 80 minutes, and will be back for us this weekend after being rested for the Batley Cup game.
Luke will obviously be hoping it’s something similar for him.
Ukuma Ta’ai was given more of a chance at Batley in the Cup last weekend. Were you happy with the way he’s now progressing?
He’s getting there, although he still does look a little rusty.
But he played 68 minutes the other day, which is probably more than he’s played in the entire season for us so far!
He looked at his best when he was running out wide, and that’s something we’re starting to look at very seriously.
It’s clear his recent intense fitness programme is paying off, so now it’s a case of him building up his match fitness.
But, overall, progress is clearly being made.
Young prop Josh Johnson made his Giants debut at Batley the other day at the age of 18. How do you thinks he did?
He did well.
He was very keen and very eager.
He was full of energy and full of enthusiasm, and probably needed to calm down a bit.
But that will come. It was probably down to the occasion, because I know how excited he was to be playing in the first team for the first time.
He clearly showed he has the ability and was able to repay the faith we showed in him.
Josh is a player who could do very well in the game if he keeps working hard.
