Craig Sandercock says his Hull KR side will return stronger in 2013
HULL KR coach Craig Sandercock is confident his young side will come back stronger in 2013 after this season's experiences.
It has been a difficult first season for Sandercock, who has been frustrated by injuries and the failure to make the play-offs.
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Craig Sandercock
But he has been lifted by the promise shown by the club's emerging youngsters, which has seen a string of the club's reserves handed their debuts.
And with that in mind, he has urged fans to look deeper than simply their final league placing when analysing their season.
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"If I was sitting here talking about losing by 40 or 50 points every week then I'd be extremely concerned," Sandercock told the Mail.
"But if you look at the teams who have finished in the position we have in years gone by, few will have a positive points differential like us.
"We have blooded a lot of young kids and we need to turn those tight defeats into wins.
"We have put some new systems and structures in place that work and we are coming along with those.
"With a relatively injury-free season, we have the team to do well."
Rovers lost ten games by eight points or less this season, suggesting they are not that far away from where they need to be.
And Sandercock says that statistic identifies a clear area for focus going forward.
"We have thrown the ball around all season. We scored 36 points against Wigan so that indicates we are doing something right," he said.
"We need to play with more composure and make sure our attitude is right.
"We have to go in to games with the belief that we really want to win and do well."
This week's end-of-season awards ceremony brought down the curtain on a turbulent opening year as a head coach for Sandercock, who was brought to the club on a two-year deal.
The Aussie, who was an assistant at Newcastle Knights, was a surprise choice by the board, as a number of more experienced coaches were thought to be in the running at the time.
But Rovers said they had invested in a coach for the long-term, and someone who would focus on developing their young players into Super League stars.
And Sandercock has learned from the experience.
"It's been good and I've enjoyed it," he said.
"There have been a lot of challenges but I'm sure we'll train hard and fans will see a very committed side next year.
"We have been inconsistent this season and that is something we have to work hard on in the off-season."
Reflecting on the number of youngsters he has helped to bring through, he added: "The difference between playing in the under-20s and Super League is chalk and cheese, the step up is a great one. Unfortunately, we were not in a position to filter them through in small doses. But they played in some important games and they'll learn from that."
Comments
by hullkr117
Friday, September 14 2012, 10:57PM
“Tis i Tezza of OZ ,Gday Bridrobin thanks for info on speedster Berwyn Jones good read ,ps up the Robins”
by HullFcRick
Friday, September 14 2012, 10:36PM
“Your doomed kr doooooooommmmed i say”
by bridrobin
Friday, September 14 2012, 6:32PM
“Dixter, I see you are still posting rubbish about the demise of the old Hull FC (1866 - 1998).
Your knowledge of RL matters in the City of Hull is sketchy to say the least. You didn't have a clue about the location of the the best stand at the old Craven Park, considering you claim to have lived next door to the place, I find that puzzling.
I doubt if you have actually attended many games of rugby in your life. Your sort are all the same, whichever team they claim to support, they are full of $h*t”
by FC_ON_THE_UP
Friday, September 14 2012, 6:22PM
“Have Rovers gone bust yet ? Just wondered.............................................
Wonder how many season passes they've sold ? Sorry, my mistake, they're not on sale yet are they ?
PMSL..............
p.s.
Any Dobbins that are in limbo on what to do for next season and are getting a bit jittery, please visit http://tinyurl.com/j4mpq and view our easy on-line method of purchasing your 2013 season pass. Come on over, you know it makes sense.”
by hesslelad
Friday, September 14 2012, 5:41PM
“If the club are put into admin,and then bought by a new owner,any player can resign from any new contract and be a free agent.One Bulls player has just done that and it may mean that any KR player can resign from any new contract with and if,any new owner takes over and move to any other club without any transfer payments being made,Players contracts can not be transferred unless the player agrees to any new contract,and can just resign,just as in any other job in Britain under the Transfer of Undertakings regs 2006.Must be a concern for any KR fan in these difficult times”
by Bumsonseats
Friday, September 14 2012, 5:25PM
“Dipster
Are you saying that the Sharks was without debt?
If so, why dd they need to merge in the first place.
What a tool you are.
Why aye man
lol”
by dextertexter
Friday, September 14 2012, 4:39PM
“bumsonseats,we all know when the a merger took place bud you dont have to keep tabs on company house,the fact is your version of events in the eventual handling of the merger was in correct,your post was from the statement on the merger released at the time and your version is almost the same as wilkepedia word for word, their version is or was the version released when news of the approval was given to merge, and not what went on after to get the merger through, different plans were put into operation to complete the merger the £1,25 million over two years was withdrawn, and a one off £2million grant was given to hullfc out of which £1.3 million was used to keep gateshead out of administration so that the merger could go ahead,so what i am saying is your version of what was approved at first,in fact never took place,because gateshead were going to have to file for administration,which in turn would have scuppered the merger,hence the payment of their debt.”
by dextertexter
Friday, September 14 2012, 4:17PM
“youwontstopme think we all knew that would happen,didnt we,they play on superleagues ground dont they lol.”
by YouWontStopMe
Friday, September 14 2012, 3:25PM
“BRADFORD BULLS GRANTED PROBATIONARY LICENCE!!!
http://tinyurl.com/8rbuldb”
by its_over
Friday, September 14 2012, 1:58PM
“bumsonseats remember your history.
Wednesday, 8 January 1997
The red, red Robin will be sob, sob, sobbin' today at the news that the club that was rugby league's high-flyer has come tumbling to earth with a sickening thump.
The directors of Hull Kingston Rovers yesterday revealed that they will apply in the High Court in Leeds next Monday for the club to be put into the hands of the administrators.
If that application is successful, the financial consultants Coopers and Lybrand will take over the running of the club in an effort to reduce a debt nearing the pounds 1m mark. The Robins have been bobbin' deeper into the red for years.
Humberside was the centre of the rugby league universe and if Hull KR, lacking some of the glamour of their neighbours, Hull, were less admired.
Hull KR's decline since those heady days has been along all fronts, with relegation in 1989 coinciding with the supposedly life-saving wrench of leaving their Craven Park ground.
Like several other clubs, Rovers have discovered that selling up the hereditary acres, for housing or supermarkets, rarely solves any underlying malaise, and their move to a new Craven Park has been a particular failure.
Hull KR have always been the club of the eastern half of the city, but those seeking out their current home have remarked that if it was any further east they would have a better chance of attracting support from the Netherlands.
The inaccessible and uninviting nature of their windswept new stadium has been a factor in Rovers' declining crowds. Even last season's promotion campaign from the depths of the Second Division saw average attendances still lagging below 1,700.
That upturn in their playing fortunes - spearheaded by an imported player recalling their old, adventurous policy, the Papua New Guinean Stanley Gene - has not restored them to any of their old prosperity or stability. The gap between expenditure and income has left them losing more than pounds 3,000 a week and has forced this week's course of action upon the board of directors.
While Rovers are merely the latest in a long list of clubs to admit to crippling financial problems, few have gone from a position of such strength to one of such weakness so quickly.
The writing on the wall has led some, like the club's former chairman and, along with Millward, its most distinguished ex-player, Phil Lowe, to propose a merger with bitter rivals Hull as the only way out.”