Dewsbury Rams: Kelly keeps defeat in perspective

Kelly felt the scoreline at Leigh Centurions two days ago did not reflect the game and was encouraged by the way his team dug in after trailing 18-0 early on.

“The zero was obviously the big downer,” he said. “But if you play a full-time team and you are on the wrong end of what seemed like a harsh penalty count in the first 20 minutes and you make some errors and your first-up contact is not right, you are always going to struggle.

“There were a lot of things we did wrong in the first 20 minutes which led to the 18-0, but for the rest of the first half there wasn’t much to choose between the sides.

“The second half was a rearguard action, we had some injuries and we ended up with players playing all over the place, but we showed great spirit and great character.

“We did some really positive things and Shannon Wakeman, Matty English, Jode Sheriffe, Robbie Ward and especially Josh Guzdek all played really well.”

James Glover (ankle) and Michael Knowles (chest) were Rams’ injury victims.

Rams visit neighbours Batley Bulldogs on Good Friday and are at home to Halifax three days later.