FEATHERSTONE ROVERS coach Paul Cooke says a question posed during a mid-season fans’ forum provided extra impetus for his team’s spirited run to the play-offs.
Featherstone sealed a sixth-place finish after being third-bottom following their 18-10 home loss to Toulouse in April.
Twelve wins in the 16 league games which followed propelled Rovers up the table and clinched last Friday’s eliminator at Bradford, where Cooke’s depleted side lost 28-8.
The coach, who stepped up from assistant to replace James Ford after two league matches, will now look to build on the foundations laid.
“When we had that meeting around eight or nine games in, a supporter asked if we had given up on the play-offs,” he recalled.
“We certainly hadn’t, but I took on board what had been said and relayed it to the players to try and give them even more motivation.
“People said it couldn’t be done, but we managed it, and I think we’ve got a team who fight for each other and are unified.”