Batley Bulldogs furthered their hopes of reaching the Qualifiers with a 16-8 win over Whitehaven – yet despite the win, coach John Kear thinks his side need to improve.
He said: “I wasn’t completely happy with the performance and neither were the players. We defended really well which is pleasing, but there’s other aspects of the game we can certainly improve upon, our smartness with the ball in hand and our kicking game.”
Batley and Featherstone have come face-to-face twice already this season, winning one game each, and Kear is certain this weekend will be another tough encounter.
“Featherstone are a very cohesive team. I’ve looked at their game against Workington and they played really well. We’re certainly prepared for a very difficult game of rugby league.”
Shaun Ainscough came through last week’s game well and is likely to start against Rovers.
Featherstone drew level on points with Bradford Bulls in their bid for the top four after defeating Workington town 44-22, but their trip to Batley is must win for the Rovers if they want to keep their Qualifiers hopes alive.
