North Wales Crusaders head coach Anthony Murray says his side need to “turn the corner quickly” following their defeat to Thatto Heath Crusaders in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.
Murray’s side were beaten 16-14 by amateur outfit Thatto Heath, coming second best for the vast majority of the 80 minutes.
Although North Wales threatened to stage a late comeback, they left it too late and Thatto hung on for a memorable and deserved victory.
“You’ve got to give full credit where it’s due to Thatto Heath,” Murray said.
“I thought they put a fantastic day on and everybody worked hard in the community to make sure it was a great occasion at their home ground.
“Full credit to Richard Owen, his staff and players as they thoroughly deserved the win.
“For us, we need to turn the corner quickly.
“We’re doing all of the right things in training, but it doesn’t seem to be coming off.
“Rugby league’s all about momentum and we’re coming off the back of four defeats in the league.
“Maybe confidence isn’t where it should be in the team and might have been a factor.
“I’m really disappointed. It’s probably the lowest point of my coaching career so far and probably the lowest point of my time at North Wales Crusaders.
“When we do put on our shape, we cause a few problems, but we’re just not doing it enough.
“It’s been catching us out and that was certainly the case against Thatto.
“You can talk about structure, tackle technique, shape and kicking games – they’re all things that help put you in a position to win – but the first thing you need to look at is out-enthusing your opponents.
“It didn’t seem to be there and it’s down to me to ask those questions why.
“One thing I won’t do is beat up my players. I’ll support them and be 100 per cent behind them.
“We’ve got to try and turn it around as a group. We’ll get together over the next couple of weeks and we’ll go from there to see how we iron out things and change things.
“We need to get that momentum back and start picking up points.”
