Simon Grix has looked ahead to Sunday’s Betfred Super League Round 9 clash against the Rhinos.
The Black & Whites will be aiming to end their recent run of poor form at the MKM Stadium, with Grix boosted by the spirit shown by his side in last week’s defeat to St Helens.
Reflecting on his side’s last outing, Grix said: “It did feel a bit different. We certainly didn’t roll over. We played a very determined and hurting Saints team.
“In terms of effort, we can stay in it and we can do it. I thought the young lads were good. They were brave. We were quite brave with the ball when we did have it, we tried a few things that got a little bit of success, but on the whole, it was a men vs boys affair. Physically, they went after us and they did a really good job of dominating the field position. It was a step in the right direction, despite what the scoreboard said.
“If we’re judging ourselves on the scoreboard alone given the predicament we’re in, we’re going to be down on ourselves every week. It’s not a nice place when you’re struggling and you’re losing, so we’ve got to try and find the positives. We’ve got to acknowledge what’s wrong and try to keep on improving on it, but we have to be positive.
“I hear it from fans and loads of people, but all everyone wants is to see the team having a dig. I thought they saw that. It’s a building block and we’ve just got to stick to that effort level, but our performance has got to keep climbing as well.
“It’s a vicious cycle when you’re losing; trying hard and not getting the reward. We’ve had 10/15 minute blips in games where we’ve conceded four or five tries in those periods. That’s where the glassy eye bit comes in, it’s Groundhog Day, we’re getting this again, and then we’ve managed to string a bit together. It’s been up and down, it’s tough, but we can’t moan about it. We’re privileged. There’s no job I’d rather be doing and it’s the same for the boys. We’ve just got to keep coming to work and trying to get better.
On the need for his side to rediscover their confidence, he added: “Winning is something you get used to. I don’t want to speak out of term but over the last few years at this club, we’ve got used to being not that successful, so it’s not too far out of the ordinary for these young lads coming up now, and that’s why as a collective we can’t wait for two, three years time to change that. It’s got to start now in everything that we do.
“We’ve spoken about that competitive nature and having that fight in everything that we do, around our training, which has improved a bit, I think. That’s not because Tony has moved on; it’s the reality of the situation where it’s got to where a coach has gone and you’ve played a part in that, you need to frame yourself really and get better.
“That performance against Saints was about starting to show some of that but it is just the start. There’s a long way to go yet, but if it keeps getting better every week, we’re making progress, and that’s all we can ask for at the minute.”
Looking ahead to the clash against the Rhinos, he continued: “I’m expecting us to play well. I have every week since I’ve been here. We’ve prepared well. We’ve got a couple of men back and a few fresh faces.
“There’s a little spring in our step. I’m confident that we are going to be better again. That’s the important bit and being better for longer is the script at the moment.
“The expectation at Leeds is really high because of the success and it’s not distant success. You can understand it. But looking at it from a coaching perspective, they’ve got a brand new spine, they’ve had lots of injuries, blokes in for a game then out for a few, so there’s a bit of upheaval going on in the background, but because it’s Leeds, they are still expected to knock the wins off.
“I think Super League is a competitive league now. Over the last few years, it’s definitely getting closer, it’s not just four teams, we’re getting towards nine or ten teams, when everyone is on form, that can maybe be in the six, and that’s only good for the league.
“That’s where Leeds come undone. They are 50/50 wins to losses, so it’s not panic stations and the end of the world when you consider that the one, six, seven, and nine, are all brand new. If you get to the halfway point and they’re still not in their groove and clicking, I could understand a bit of noise around it then, but I think there’s a hell of a long way to go and a lot of improvement in that team.
“My brother is over there so I’ve watched plenty of them and they’re a good team. They do some things differently to everyone else and when it isn’t going well they pick on the thing that is different and say well that’s not good enough, but when it’s going well, they’re on the other side of that. That’s the way we are when we watch sport.
“I think they’re a good side. They’ve got loads of threat and they’re encouraged to move the ball. They’ve got some really skilful players and when it sticks, they’re an absolute handful. Hopefully, it doesn’t stick for them on Sunday.”
Simon Grix is proudly sponsored by Rowe Freight.
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