John Cartwright has reflects on his side’s gritty victory over community club York Acorn in the Third Round of the Betfred Challenge Cup on Saturday afternoon.
A young Black & White side defeated the NCL Premier Division side 52-6 in drab conditions in Featherstone, featuring a first career hat-trick from Lewis Martin.
Speaking after the game, Cartwright said: “I thought Lewis played really tough. The first three tackles, York built their game around that. They got really close to the ten-metre barrier on the back of a slow play of the ball, so there were some really tough carries there for our back three and our centres, but I thought Lewis was outstanding.
“Lewis and Harvey (Barron) are the future of the club. They are young, they are willing, and they are local boys. That’s what we want. They’re still very young, and we’re fortunate enough to have the two guys—Zak Hardaker and Jordan Rapana—and that experience around them. It’s a tough headache.”
On his side’s overall performance, he added: “It was what we expected. They are a very gritty side. They slowed us down, and they played the ball well. They were very willing, and they really had a go. They did themselves and their fans proud, and they were rewarded for their efforts with a try.
“For our guys, it was physical; it was a really slow and scrappy game. It was exactly as we expected. We just wanted to get away here with the win and without any injuries, and we were able to do that, but it was good to see some of the younger boys get out there.
“We played the game with one eye on next week in Catalans. It’s a short turnaround, but with the travel as well. It’ll probably be a day less training for us this week. It was exciting to give some of the young boys—young Hutchinson, young Kemp, young Westerman, and young Kirby—the opportunity to go out there, and they held themselves really well.
“They took their chance. A lot of them haven’t really played much senior football. They’ve played age-group footy, and this was against an able team. There was line speed, and we had to take our bruises.
“There was a lot of slow play of the balls and a lot of holding down in the ruck. We knew that would happen. We understood that. They (Acorn) were playing against a professional outlet who trains every day. I thought we responded really well.
“We spoke a lot about discipline and not making it a slow game and not giving any reason for a blow-up in the game. It got close a couple of times, I suppose, but I thought we held our nerve really well. There were a couple of discipline errors in the first half, but that was probably it.”
On the injury front, he continued: “Oliver (Holmes) came off a little bit sore, but it was more precautionary. He will probably be available for next week, but outside of that, we’re okay.
“We’re pretty healthy. There are a few of the younger boys who are long-termers, but as for our senior guys, they’re all available. It’s a bit of a tough time for us to select a side this week.”
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