"It'll be Groundhog Day until we do learn it" | Reaction Mark Applegarth | Catalans Dragons | RD 12

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]36 points to 22 defeat to Castleford Dragons this evening.

[00:00:05]Your thoughts on how the evening unfolded? First half, relatively happy with how we've been traveling. You know, we just lacked a little bit of composure in that final third of the field, but the rest of his game we're pretty happy with. I thought we were showing up for each other defensively.

[00:00:22]You know, as connections were there.

[00:00:24]Defending each of his errors and I thought we were getting out of his own half pretty pretty well. We just lacked a little bit of As I said, a little bit of temperament when we got down there and a little bit too trigger happy and we spoke about half time just fixing that up and if we put some sustained pressure on them, points would come and uh yeah, that that bit of a horror start to the half, wasn't it? You know, and I think that's cost us in the end, you know, going two tries down and in two sets like that. I don't think we touched the ball for for 7 minutes of that first at the second half and um yeah, frustrating frustrating, but um I admire the spirit we've got.

[00:01:04]You know, I admire a lot about our team.

[00:01:07]Um but we've also got to get rid of this this little uh soft underbelly that we've got when you know, when we go through phases of us playing like that and um you know, it it stings, but it'll be groundhog day until we do learn it. You know, as I say that um we have got to learn it. We will learn it.

[00:01:27]Um you know, until we do, it'll be a very um you know, frustrating time as we're going through now. Yeah.

[00:01:32]That first half, you were saying that I mean, possibly arguably you edged that first half on on territory and application. They threw a lot of pace and shape at you, didn't they?

[00:01:44]In that first half, you handled that well.

[00:01:47]But it just seemed as though once again the little errors, little bits of ill-discipline and as you say a sort of over anxiety prevented you from getting points on the board that that actually deserved in that first half.

[00:01:59]>> Yeah, listen, Catalans are a great team.

[00:02:01]Um, you know, and and Jones is a great so coach supported by by Shaz and um Miss Pearson and Mickey Mac and um you know, they lift their game right back and as you said there at the moment we're just we've just got to cut our own errors out of this game, you know, until we uh fix that up we can't look anywhere else and we will fix it up. Um frustrating and and going back to that key word there is is anxiety and uh that's my job as head coach to to make sure we get rid of that anxiety that the players can go out there and uh match day should feel like the best day of the week. You know, when results start going your way um it's quite easy to to go into your shell and go a little bit insular.

[00:02:40]Uh so I've got to make sure I I look at myself, make sure I've got my messages right. Um you know, so the players can go out there and and nail how we want to play but uh we will get there. Yeah. Was 6-0 at half time unlucky in the respect that you looked as though you probably scored a perfectly good try which was ruled no try by the referee, couldn't be overturned and then Catalans went straight up the other end and got a try of their own. It It seemed like a harsh turn of events to many eyes.

[00:03:11]>> I'm more looking at how we deal with adversity a little bit better. Um you know, as you said there the key key word there is that we we obviously get one disallowed and going concede one and and that shouldn't happen. So we've got to make sure that we respond better mentally there.

[00:03:26]Um you know, I I thought Mark had a great game refereeing it. Um some you get, some you don't, that's irrelevant, you know, that didn't cost us game. What cost us game were our start of that that second half. So um you know, as I said the other week against Castleford that's what what we'll be chasing to fix up. Yeah.

[00:03:43]Let's just pull apart that 5 minutes because it it was horrendously poor.

[00:03:49]I mean the The off was fielded thrown to Chris Satae and Kevin Peats off the back fence.

[00:03:56]And he just he was allowed really to go 35 m down field.

[00:04:02]That was compounded by Ash Taylor picking the ball up and running 35 m almost untouched. It was um What was it just a lack of concentration?

[00:04:15]>> Um Or was it somebody just not fancying it? No, I won't say it's definitely not someone fancying it. He you know, that's one thing I'll never question on anyone in this team. It is Um obviously it's not good enough. Um players don't need to hear me say that.

[00:04:30]They already know that. Um and that's that's sort of conversations we'll have inside. But listen, it's a a missed tackle um which you can't afford at this level.

[00:04:39]You know, especially off a kick off like that. There's no no excuse for it. But I definitely won't be throwing a player under the bus on that. Uh the first person I'll look at is my messages at at half time and make sure that um you know, we I got that right. But uh listen, you you're going to get moments in games um that don't go your way as a player.

[00:04:58]Um you know, I definitely won't be singling any any one player out on there. That'll be um you know, something we we dissect as a group and and own as a group moving forward. Yeah.

[00:05:09]I mean you can't deny that the Knights are a side that just never give anything up.

[00:05:14]You kept getting a try back. But as fast as you got a try back, the Catalans were good enough to go down and and score another one where you were just constantly playing catch up in that second half.

[00:05:24]>> We And that's the soft underbelly that um I'm talking about at the moment. You know, listen now that's one trait that I'll always always base the team on it is is the grit and never say die. Um I think it should be a given and we've definitely got that. We just got to get that that smartness and composure that come with it. And uh we knew we could score points and um Um yeah, we just got to put it all and I wish it were as easy as just saying let's put it all together, lads, and uh objectively, you've got to you know, you've got to break it down, you've got to give people time. As frustrating as it can be, it's really important that you you give people time.

[00:06:01]You know, there's only only one way people learn if they're inexperienced, and that's going through different experiences.

[00:06:08]Um you know, we've got a load of lads out there that are learning and going through different experiences. Um sometimes it's it's a good experience, other times it's a bad experience, and then my job as coach is to make sure that I'm supporting them through that.

[00:06:21]Obviously upholding a a certain standard that I expect and the club expects, that our team expects, but um you know, that's the sort of stuff we talk about every day, day in day out, but um you know, there's a lot of lads learning and then going through some um pretty tough experiences, but it'll be good experience for them moving forward and and over the careers.

[00:06:43]Yeah.

[00:06:45]I mean, there must be a burden and a pressure involved with I think I made it tonight in my opinion that there were probably seven players on your team sheet who would have been first-choice had you had a fully-fit squad.

[00:07:00]But there must be a real pressure on those players who are having You've talked about that next man up mentality.

[00:07:07]Yeah. But there must be a pressure to to try and get an improvement in their performance that allows them to compete at this level.

[00:07:18]Do you feel that? Um yeah, I I get your sentiment, for sure, but uh listen, the the 17 we put out there today, we're more than capable of um you know, doing what we needed to do today. You know, Catalan had a few out, too, but ultimately they they found a way to to win, didn't they? And um you know, that's that's what we've got to aspire to be. Um you know, we've gone from um uh that team that that had that winning edge about them. Winners find a way to win and uh we've got to learn how to be winners again in that sense, haven't we?

[00:07:50]And um as I say, it's a journey you're on and and the uh the art of it all, I suppose, it is upholding uh the standard that you expect while also providing opportunity for um you know, players to to fulfill that standard. Um you know, while feeling supported to do but let's not let's not forget too we're in a a results-based business and um you know, we we don't want to be that oh, you had a big happy losing team. You know, we're all filthy in that. I've got a set of lads in there that are absolutely distraught that um you know, we've lost another uh close game but ultimately we've only got ourselves to blame and and we've got to make sure that we're chasing that. Me as a coach, make sure that um you know, my messages are clear, my coaching's clear, um my team's messages are clear, and then players are obviously doing the same and um you know, we'll stay tight. It It can get frustrating for everyone but you zoom out and you make sure that um you know, my job's to to lead and make sure that we we keep on moving forward and and making progress. Yeah, we we talked about the you know, the positive side, the plus side that the team continues to compete for the 80 minutes and then trying to claw their way back into the game. I another big plus point today I thought was the performance of uh Denilho Brereton.

[00:09:11]I thought he had a a really excellent game and and looks as though he is really starting to find his feet in Superliga. Yeah, listen, I thought that was probably Denilho's best game in a in a nutshell and um yeah, the the talent's there underneath and he's a real uh good guy that that owns his his game every single week. He's been a bit unlucky with one or two areas of his game and I thought he responded uh responded excellently uh tonight. So, really pleased for the knee personally.

[00:09:41]Um you know, as you say, we've just got to we've just got to keep on moving forward.

[00:09:47]I always ask you, and I know sometimes you just don't know. Any new injuries tonight? I noticed I think Gano went out of the game. Was that through being withdrawn, or was that an injury?

[00:09:56]>> Yeah, no, listen, Ats has been doing a uh a great job for us in positions, you know, a little bit early into him. I just felt we we needed a little bit more uh size coming on and a bit of impetus there, so we got Myler back on. That's all that was. Um but, in terms of injuries, uh I think uh Xavier got a bit of a bump, but he continued, you know, Tommy got a bit of a bump, but he continued, so um you know, I'll have to go down and get the report, but I don't think there's anything of of concern that, you know, hopefully two weeks will sort out any how. Yeah. Just finally, you gave Tom Lineham his first run in an eight shirt for about four or five seasons. Um How do you think he really went?

[00:10:40]Yeah, really well. Uh and I knew it'd go well. Uh Tom well, Tom and Kieran both on on Super League debuts, and um in terms of Tom, I really admire him as a man. That he he took a big risk joining um Newcastle how he did, you know, and um I always admire someone that backs himself to succeed, and I thought he definitely took his chance tonight. He didn't look out of place. Um absolutely love him as a as a person. Uh probably, if I had to describe Tom in one word, it'd be authentic.

[00:11:15]And I I've just got so much time for him, and I'm really glad that um you know, he he took his chance tonight. He definitely didn't look out of place.

[00:11:23]Um a week off, Mac? Yeah. A good time?

[00:11:27]Uh they're never a good time when you lose anything. You go out there tomorrow, but um yeah, we'll we'll back smart. We'll give lads one or two days just to reset mentally and physically. Uh, but needless to say, we're nowhere near where we want to be yet.

[00:11:40]Um, so we'll be in next week, you know, working on some areas um, that that we know are our standard.

[00:11:47]Um, and then we've got a week leading into into Bradford, haven't we? So, um, yeah, we'll we'll have one or two days just freshening everyone up. Um, and then we'll get up to some technicals and some some team play, you know, just just owning some certain moments where uh, we've just got to learn to be a little bit better in certain phases.

[00:12:07]Crystal ball gazing, any cavalry coming over the hill, anybody likely to be back available for Bradford who's been on the Um, yes, we should have Jordan Thompson and Liam Harris back in in contention.

[00:12:22]Uh, Voni obviously got rested for this game just to be smart with his head, so he'll be back in contention.

[00:12:29]Uh, Justin Sangare will be cleared after his head test, so he'll be back in contention.

[00:12:35]Um, and that's about all I can remember off the top of my head if I want to with you.