SHEFFIELD EAGLES are plotting a recovery mission at Rochdale after successive defeats at home to Doncaster and away to London Broncos.
After going down 46-0 in their Good Friday derby, when key playmaker Jordan Lilley sustained a leg injury, the steel city side lost 48-4 in the capital on Saturday.
Sheffield, seeking a big improvement after last year’s third-bottom Championship finish, had won seven in nine in all competitions previously.
But the last two matches have given Craig Lingard and his players a gauge of where they currently stand, and as the coach pointed out, the level they need to reach to be genuine contenders in the second tier.
Sheffield take on Rochdale in round one of the 1895 Cup on Sunday, then have a league bye round before hosting Salford on Sunday, April 26.
And Lingard, who has taken Castleford forward Jimmy Beckett on a month’s loan, is on the lookout for some signs that his squad have learned lessons but not become downhearted.
“We are a new and developing group; we have that ambition to be a top-six type of team, and we have seen the standard necessary,” he said.
“Without being disrespectful to the other teams we have played, the last two have been a step up for us.
“Doncaster have been building for a while now, and they were outstanding against us, and in the first half in particular, they were relentless.
“We lost Jordy (Lilley) during that period, and had to rejig, but even before that, we were struggling to find some direction.
“This game is about physicality and force. If one individual has more of those than their opponent, they are going to win that contact on both sides off the ball, and we got rolled.
“We all have to strive to improve, whether that’s working even harder in training or on preparation, or making more of the information from previews and reviews.
“But let’s not feel sorry for ourselves, let’s up our game instead.”