CR) After having time to reflect on the Hull defeat how disappointed were you with the way things went?

NB) It was obviously disappointing, and there’s no question it’s the worst performance since I’ve been at the club.

The effort in the first half just wasn’t acceptable.

We responded with a far better effort in the second half, but I don’t think the final scoreline of 24-20 to Hull was a fair reflection of the contest.

I believe we are as talented as them, but on the night they obviously performed far better and were far more enthusiastic.

Our effort and attitude was just not acceptable to where we want it to be

They were quicker, ran harder and tackled harder.

Obviously, everyone will look at the number of errors we made and point to that as being the reason we lost the game.

But that’s only half the story.

Of more concern to me was that when we made the errors there was no will and no resolve to hold the opposite out on the back of them.

As a coach, you must find it incredibly hard watching the side making as many mistakes as they did.

It’s tough, there’s no doubt about it.

But even though the players did make mistakes, including some of our more experienced players, I do share the responsibility as their coach.

And I will continue to encourage everyone to maintain this open style of play.

It’s just a case of continue to work at doing these things in training under pressure, and we will get better.

So how have the players responded to the Hull disappointment in training?

The boys have responded well, which I always expected.

The effort and attitude of everyone at training is something that has always impressed me about this group, and this week has been no exception.

And after letting themselves down last week I know how much everyone is looking forward to trying to put things right at Castleford this weekend.

You say about how impressed you’ve been with the players’ attitude, what about the attitude and work rate of Stephen Wild on defence.

When I first came here, I obviously didn’t know too much about Wildy.

But he’s certainly made a positive impression on me in terms of his defensive work.

He’s always prided himself on that part of his play, and the fact he makes almost 50 tackles a game speaks for itself.

Finally, as an Australian, how much are you looking forward to being involved in the Challenge Cup and the tie at Harlequins.

For starters, it’s going to be a tough game.

And, as an Australian, I am looking forward to being involved in a competition as prestigious as the Challenge Cup for the first time.

We’ve don’t have anything like this back home, and it’s pretty exciting.

Like many Australians who love their footy, I was one of those who used to get up in the middle of the night to watch the Challenge Cup final.

So I know how fantastic it would be to get the chance to be part of such an occasion