MATCH INFORMATION
KEIGHLEY COUGARS v DEWSBURY RAMS - PRE SEASON FRIENDLY
SUNDAY 12TH JANUARY - 2PM KICK OFF
COUGAR PARK - KEIGHLEY - BD21 3RF
REFEREE - MR JOE STEARNE (CASTLEFORD)
ADMISSION:
ADULT - £10
CONCESSIONS - £5
JUNIORS - FREE
LOVERS: "WE'RE STARTING FROM SCRATCH"
Head coach Rhys Lovegrove says his side were “always going to start from scratch” in 2020, and he is looking forward to showcasing some new players and tactics in their opening pre-season friendly with Dewsbury Rams on Sunday.
They host the Championship side having made nine signings in pre-season, while maintaining several wise old heads, including evergreen hooker James Feather.
Lovegrove admitted he had targeted a friendly against Dewsbury, not only because of their style of rugby, but also to avoid giving their League One promotion rivals a “practice shot” at them.
Discussing the coming season as a whole, Lovegrove said: “I came in halfway through last season (to replace Craig Lingard) so I just had to reinforce what the team knew. There was no chance for me to implement a new style of play.
“We were always going to start from scratch this pre-season, so new players coming in has had no effect in that sense.
“Whether it was existing or new players, they all needed to learn new material and so far, the people that I’ve brought in have shown me the skill sets that I wanted.”
Despite the raft of new players, there are plenty of old heads for the head coach to rely on, including Feather, who has been at the club since 2003.
Asked about his continuing impact on and off the pitch, Lovegrove said: “James has been really good. He had a big role last year, playing plenty of matches.
“He’s a real leader, and has carried that on in pre-season. He has been great on both sides of the fence for me.
"There’s two or three others like him expecting to go into coaching too, so I involve them all in that side of the game in training.
“I enjoy that they’re able to help out, and it just gives me fresh views on things.”
It sounds like Keighley are well prepared ahead of the game at Cougar Park this weekend, one Lovegrove is looking forward to.
He said: “I really wanted us to have this friendly. They’ve got good quality, but they’re also fair, Dewsbury.
“They’re not a grubby side who are trying to knock your head off, they just play a nice brand of rugby.
“I know Lee (Greenwood, Dewsbury’s head coach) well and he’s got a lot of ambitions for the club.
“It’s a great test for us, and we want to test ourselves against the best. We also didn’t want to give others in League One a practice shot at us.”
Lovegrove added: “Everyone will get minutes on Sunday. I’ll bring the whole squad to get a look at each of them before League One starts. It’s a reward for their hard work in pre-season too.
“I’ll look to play two distinct teams, one in the first half and one in the second.
“That gives the players time to get a feel for the rhythm of the game and get a foot in the door, rather than me just chopping and changing throughout.”
Rhys' pre-match thoughts courtesy of the Keighley News
TEAM NEWS
Head Coach Rhys Lovegrove will be without six players, through both injury and suspension, for Sunday's first runout of 2020 against the Dewsbury Rams.
Ryan Wright (ankle) is still recovering from surgery in the off-season after sustaining a long term injury in his final game for Hunslet at the end of last season.
Macauley Hallett (Foot) is ruled out for two weeks following surgery to remove a shard of broken glass earlier this week with Will Cooke (Foot) also ruled out after sustaining an injury in training on Tuesday evening.
Billy Gaylor misses out through ligament damage with Jordan Aitchison sidelined with a chest injury.
Jack Arnold is unavailable and is currently still serving his suspension from the back end of the 2019 campaign.
Dan Hawksworth and Dan Parker will be featuring for the Castleford Tigers on dual-registration terms in their friendly away at the Widnes Vikings.
COUGARS: Agoro; Bailey; Cooke; Coventry; Darley; Desmond-Walker; Feather; Hardcastle; Kesik; Levy; Lynam; Miller; Moran; Muranka; Prell; Seeley; Sheriff; Stead; Webster; Welham; Wray.
Dewsbury Rams Head Coach Lee Greenwood has named a 23 man squad for Sunday's friendly at Cougar Park.
A whole host of former Cougars have been included with Adam Ryder, Andy Gabriel, Davey Dixon and Sonny Esslemont all set to feature for the Rams.
New Dewsbury recruit Rhys Davies is expected to make his first appearance for the visitors after signing for the club from Halifax last week.
Chris Annakin is also included in the squad after missing out on Boxing Day's draw with the Batley Bulldogs.
RAMS: Annakin; Brierley; Davies; Day; Dixon; Esslemont; Finn; Fleming; Gabriel; Johnson; Magrin; Martin; Moorhouse; Morris; Nelmes; Oakes; Punchard; Reilly; Ryder; Scott; Speakman; Sykes; Thornton.
VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITION CAMP
Dewsbury Rams head coach Lee Greenwood was impressed with his sides attitude and commitment on Boxing Day against Batley, insisting there is much to improve on and the game gave him food for thought.
The Rams drew 14-14 against the Bulldogs, it was the first time in seven years Dewsbury had not lost a Boxing Day fixture.
On the performance of his side Greenwood said: “They got the penalty goal in the end to level it, but they gave us three shots at the finish to put a one pointer over them. We should have done that too, so the disappointment from us is that we got so close to their line for the last few minutes and it was level. I would have liked us to have done that a bit better but we didn’t do.
“It’s one of the things we need to improve on as well as a whole host of other things, but I think if you look at the result, you don’t want to lose these games. In a way it’s immaterial the result because it’s all about performances and getting ready for the league games.
“Once you get into the game of course you want to win it, and we put ourselves in a position to do that. We messed up a few times and gave them a few opportunities, they took the two in the end which showed they didn’t want to lose it either. Like I said we had a few good chances there, and should have hit the one pointer but didn’t.
“Batley have got a lot of seasoned campaigner’s in their team, where we had a few lads who haven’t played Championship rugby regularly year on year. I thought we stood up well to them, physically I am happy with where we are at.
"Ball in hand first half towards their line was pretty poor, we strung a few good minutes together just after half time, which I thought was basic rugby done really well. Unfortunately after that we sort of moved away from it and things conspired against us with mistakes too which just drains your energy.
“I would say there was some things better than our last Boxing Day game, certainly the six weeks of preparation we have done and the attitude and commitment from the lads before the match. The positive talking during the game, at half time and after the match is great. We now want that to translate in to league games and results, we lost last year we drew this time around so you could say that is progress.
“There is a lot to work on, but you always find that where you think you are alright in some areas and when it comes to a match find out you need to work on them, and visa versa. You feel you need to work on other areas but when it comes to a match, find out you were ok in those bits. It gives us plenty of food for thought does the Boxing Day fixture.
“We now have five weeks to go until the season kicks off against Leigh, we have two more friendlies away at Keighley and at home to Bradford. So yes we will be working hard in training to brush up on some of the things we didn’t seem good at. I liked the effort of the lads and for a Boxing Day game if you bring the effort that’s all you can ask for.”
“I expect Batley to improve, the officials to improve and we will improve as the season goes on.”
View From The Opposition Camp courtesy of Steven Downes at the Dewsbury Rams
ACORN STAIRLIFTS JOIN AS MAIN SPONSORS
KEIGHLEY Cougars have teamed up with Acorn Stairlifts for a major new five-figure sponsorship deal.
The agreement with the Betfred League One side will cover the cost of their kit and further boost the profile of the club.
The tie-up was confirmed through a visit by Cougars' squad members, including Jake Webster, to Acorn's base. The firm's logo will also take pride of place on Cougars' home and away jerseys next season.
Nick Wilson, Acorn Stairlifts operations director, said: "The Keighley Cougars have been at the heart of our local community for many years and we've all felt the pain of their struggles in the last 12 months.
"We've been speaking with the new management team for a number of months and are delighted to announce our 12-month sponsorship deal which really cements our brand with the team in a way which reflects our pride in and support for everything they stand for.
"This season marks the start of a new era for this hugely loved and respected rugby team and as a company, our values of community support, team spirit and active living match perfectly with the Keighley Cougars and we were delighted to meet members of the team last week and to be fuelling their match performances for the coming season."
Lisa Gill, Cougars' general manager, said: "It's true to say it's been a difficult time for the club and the team so to have such big business support for our upcoming season really is a lift for all of us.
"Cougarmania is clearly alive and kicking within the Acorn Stairlifts workforce and we know many staff have followed the team for decades and some have family members who have played for the team.
"Our combined heritage, belief and investment in this town is a perfect reflection of the power of team spirit and of community support and we can't wait to start the new season with our new players, new investment, new Acorn Stairlifts-branded kit and an even stronger sense of local pride."