North Wales Crusaders head coach Carl Forster has called on his team to show consistency in a season defining three games, beginning with Sunday’s trip to the South Leeds Stadium where they’ll face Hunslet RLFC.
Forster’s side sit just one place below the Betfred League One play-off places and find themselves in a three-way-battle with Midlands Hurricanes and Workington Town with just three games of the regular season remaining.
Ahead of Sunday’s crucial clash against Hunslet, Forster has urged his team to show consistency: “For one reason or another, I think we’ve only given a full eighty minute performance on one or two occasions so far this year, with our best display coming against Oldham who are flying at the top of the division.
“That gives me confidence. I’ve seen that this group of boys can go toe-to-toe with the best side in the league, it’s about turning up to these next three games with the right attitude, the right mindset and matching that standard.
“We can work on plays, video, in the gym, but when it comes to on the field it’s about those smarts that get you over the line.
“If we play like we did against Oldham a few months ago, like we did against Keighley last week, then we’ll finish in the play-offs this season.
“Sport is a strange one, we’ve worked hard, it’s a long season which started back in January, and now we’re into the end of August and find ourselves in an all or nothing situation where our year rides on three games, but we thrive in that environment.”
Taking a look at Sunday’s opponents, Hunslet, Forster added: “Hunslet are a really good side, they’ve gone about their business quietly this season, but they’re right up there, they have two quality halves who guide them round the field and they’re tough to break down.
“When we played them out our place last month, I felt like we matched them in the first-half, but if I’m honest the second period of that game was the worst we’ve played all year, so we have something to show.
“We owe it to our fans, ourselves and the club to go out there this weekend and show what we’re about and the quality which we have.
“This is do or die time for us, does that put pressure on us? Of course it does, but we take it in our stride and go up there to play.”
