Batley Bulldogs: Matt Diskin delighted by players’ approach in face of ‘stacked’ odds

Sam Wood and Jack Downs celebrate with Batley try scorer Niall Walker.

Diskin admitted the gulf between the sides’ budgets was reflected on the field, but insisted his men weren’t second-best in terms of attitude and effort on the day.

“I don’t think the scoreline is a true reflection of the effort our lads put in,” Diskin said.

Louis Jouffrett scores for Batley against Toronto.

“There were a couple of soft tries conceded and the scoreline flattered them a little bit.

“Our effort was there, but you get what you pay for.

“When you are spending £180,000 compared to £1.8m it is a big difference.

“With that £1.8m you can pay for quality that’s very clinical when they need to be.”

The odds were stacked against Bulldogs’ part-time players, who had been involved in a midweek game in the 1895 Cup.

Diskin added: “We knew we needed lady luck on our side and it didn’t quite shine that way.

“What I did want was a good performance attitude from our players and they had that.

“They worked really hard for each other.

“They didn’t make the smartest decisions at times, but the effort and attitude was there and, if we’ve got that, we can work on things going forward.”

Bulldogs came through with no major injury concerns ahead of Sunday’s game at Swinton Lions.

That is a big one for Batley who are ninth in the table, but only three points above the relegation zone.

Diskin said: “We’ve got a potential couple I am awaiting assessments on, but nothing serious.

“Jack Downs dislocated his shoulder, but it popped straight back in.

“Other than that we are pretty clean, I think.”