Neil Kelly targets top-four Shield finish as Dewsbury Rams find form

DEWSBURY RAMS are picking up form at the business end of the season and boss Neil Kelly has urged them to keep their foot on the gas.
Neil Kelly.Neil Kelly.
Neil Kelly.

Rams made it three wins from four games in the Betfred Championship Shield when they hammered visitors Barrow Raiders 32-12 two days ago.

That continued Rams’ recent improvement, after a tough middle of the season and Kelly is seeing positive signs for next year.

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He said: “We’ve won six of our last eight games; that form is pleasing at any time and at the end of the season, when teams are jockeying for position, it is really valuable.

“We are safe from relegation now, but we’re not safe in fourth in the Shield table. We probably need one more win in our last three games to secure that – which is eighth in the Championship – but we want to go and see if we can win as many as possible from the last three.”

Rams are three points behind Batley Bulldogs and have a similar gap over Sheffield Eagles.

The victory against Barrow secured their Championship place for next year mathematically and Kelly was pleased with the way his team backed up from the previous week’s success at Sheffield.

He said: “It was a good win.

“Barrow did their best to make it a scruffy game.

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“That was their best chance of winning and, at times, we got embroiled in a battle of wits almost.

“We flirted with getting involved in a scruffy game ourselves, but we did enough right in the periods when we were doing the right thing to get the points and get the win.”

Kelly confirmed Rams, who visit Featherstone Rovers on Sunday, came through with no major new injuries.

He said: “I’ve given the players tonight [last night] off training, apart from those with injuries. I said anyone who’s injured would have to come in for treatment – and nobody’s injured!”