“I CAN’T teach someone to want it,” said York Acorn ARLC head coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul ahead of another must-win fixture for his promotion-hunting side.
Tonight (7.30pm), seventh-placed Acorn welcome National Conference League division one rivals Skirlaugh to Thanet Road looking for a third consecutive win to take them into the top six.
The towering 74-12 triumph over Ince Rose Bridge a fortnight ago never looked in doubt but, last week, the Blue and Golds came close to letting slip a 10-point half-time lead in 16-14 victory at Oulton Raiders.
However, Paul-Rientoul is pleased with the development in game management they showed to take the vital kicks for goal – including the Antony Chilton's key penalty from the halfway line in the closing stages.
He admitted: "We managed the game correctly. In recent weeks we would have lost that."
What Paul-Rientoul now demands is a determination to match.
He said: “With the weaker teams, you find that all the players are available, but with the tough ones, you see who doesn’t want it – suddenly there are holidays and other things.
“It’s about us standing up and making ourselves available. And once the whistle blows, there’s no more I can do. I can’t teach someone to want it, that’s got to come from them and their attitude.”
On the Skirlaugh game tonight, the former BARLA Great Britain international said: “They’ve recruited well and brought in some players who could make this game really interesting.
“Nathan Slater scored a hat-trick last weekend. He’s a half-back who’s really good in support and a really good finisher. We’re going to have to be switched on to that.
“We’ve got as strong a team as we can, and we’ve got an advantage being at home – they’ve got to work all day and travel here, which could work in our favour.
“There’s going to be a big crowd because it will be a nice night and the players will want to do well for them, show them what they can do with a full side.
“Three wins on the bounce puts doubt in other teams’ minds and makes them think about us instead of us having to think about them – I’d rather be on that end of it.
“Skirlaugh are one position above us in the league, so it’s a must-win for us if we want to leapfrog them and if we want a chance of the top six.
“When we played them away earlier in the season, we took a weakened side and I thought if we’d taken a full side we could have given them a good game and come away with a win.”
In the Yorkshire Men’s League premier division, bottom side New Earswick All Blacks travel to second-placed Bentley on Saturday looking to bounce back from last week’s 34-14 defeat at Nottingham Outlaws.
Division one leaders Heworth were in action last night at home to Hunslet Club Parkside and on Saturday host a table-top clash against second-placed Queensbury, who missed the chance to go top last week with their first defeat of the season.
York Acorn ‘A’ will play their first game since a 36-4 home win over Skirlaugh Bulls three weeks ago when they host sixth-placed Hull Wyke, who last week lost 16-8 to Cutsyke Raiders.
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