John Cartwright has looked ahead to our Magic Weekend clash against Huddersfield Giants this weekend.
The Black & Whites will be aiming to return to winning ways and make it three wins on the bounce at Newcastle’s St James’ Park after Magic wins in 2022 and 2023.
Previewing the Giants in his pre-match press conference, Cartwright said: “They have tested everyone. They tested us; we only got there in the last minute with a field goal. We’ve got no reason to be complacent.
“They’ve got a few coming back; they had a few back last week, and they’re going to win games between now and the end of the year. It can be a danger game for us, but this week, we haven’t focused too much on who we’re playing. It’s more about getting us and our performance right.
“There was effort last week, but it was misplaced effort, and on the back of what we did with the ball, we gave Wigan too many free chances, and that’s not the team to do it to. But this is exciting, and I’m looking forward to it.
“It should be a bumper weekend. Hopefully, it’s as full as it possibly can be. I know we’ll have plenty of supporters there on the road with us, and they always enjoy themselves and have a good time.
“They certainly help us with our performances on the road. We’re really excited, but it’s a real danger game for us. We’ve got a week off after this week, and it’ll be a great feeling to get on the bus on the way home with two points and knowing we’ve got a week off.”
He added: “Huddersfield will be fighting like mad for a win; they know where they sit, and they’ve been competitive for a big part of the year, but unfortunately for them, they haven’t been able to get a result. They’ll certainly feel like they are capable of winning this one.”
Hoping to see his side return to winning ways this weekend, he continued: “It’s important that we get back this week to where we’ve been good in earlier parts of the season, and then results tend to take care of themselves. There are no easy games, and this week will be no different.
“I was disappointed with how we played in front of our home crowd. I thought we took a few steps backwards with things that were in our control. If we had turned up and played with some of the traits that we displayed earlier in the season, we could have got a result, but it wasn’t to be.
“There’s been a few reality checks and targets as a team that we have fallen away from, and that can happen. Sometimes winning games – while you never knock back a win – can hide some things that you’ve been doing wrong, and that’s on all of us coaches too, to make sure we reach levels that we need to be at; regardless, if we’re not at them, we have to get the whip out, but that’s easier said than done.
“There are no easy games, and sometimes the joy of winning gets in front of the actual things you’re doing on the field. Maybe we were lucky to win a few.”
John Cartwright is proudly sponsored by Solutech.
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