Dons head coach not completely satisfied despite routine win over Hunslet Hawks

The first half proved to be something of a dour encounter on a pitch showing signs of the recent rock concert.

But the game opened up after the break with the Dons getting well on top.

“Despite leading 12-0 we spoke at half time about needing to step up another gear in the second half.” said head coach Richard Horne.

“We gave the players some instructions before the game but they are out there and have to play the conditions as they find them while we are sat in the stand.

“The message that came back from the players was that the conditions weren’t great and that the ball was so greasy that they didn’t want to risk making errors by trying to force the pass when coming out of yardage (defence) so they decided to carry (the ball) hard and try to get to the end of their sets which they did really well.

“Hunslet tried shifting the ball early in the game but because the ball was greasy their passing was slow and we could comfortably deal with it and it would have been the same scenario for us so we decided the best tactics were to carry strong and get to our kicks.

“We spoke at half time about the first score in the second half being important because if they scored first it would have been ‘game on’ again. As it turned out we came out and scored an early try and then kicked on and scored some good tries.

“We also bombed a couple of good chances and we spoke about that after the game. We are still not as free-flowing as I would like.”

Having kept Hunslet, who were without several of their most experienced players, scoreless for over 77 minutes, Horne was disappointed to concede a late try and see the visitors go close on another occasion.

“Apart from possibly the victory over Oldham at home, we haven’t produced an 80-minute performance yet this season,” he said.

“We were excellent for an hour in the defeat at Rochdale last time out before conceding three back-to-back tries all due to one-on-one missed tackles.

“Players have got to remain mentally focused until the final whistle no matter what position they are playing. I thought they did that today before it got a bit scrappy at the end.”