Rams can be proud of Rovers display

Neil Kelly was proud of his sides display but believes the Rams could have pushed Featherstone closer but for lapses at the end of the first half.

Dewsbury were well in the game leading up to half-time when a three-try blast by Rovers saw them pull clear and despite a brave second half fight back, the Rams came up just short.

Speaking after the game, Kelly said: “Overall, I am proud of the lads’ efforts. It is a difficult place to come at the best of times, and I am looking at it purely and simply from the effort side of things, I thought we have given a good account of ourselves.

“The reason I am not bustling with enthusiasm is because I thought we could have given a better account of ourselves.

“If we had given a better account of ourselves, maybe we would have threatened to win the game instead of just making for a high-scoring game.”

Speaking of Featherstone’s late first half flurry, the Rams coach added: “It is the story of our season so far. And it is probably why the players that play at this level are at this level.

“They are not the finished or perfect product, and if they were, I think all clubs at this level would probably have to accept that they would playing at a higher level.

“We do enough wrong to take away from the massive amount of things that we do right.

“Moments like that, just before half time and moments like that in the second half are the reasons why we are not higher in the league this year.

“We are a good side but we have not learnt the lessons and that has been a perfect example today.”

Kelly still had plenty of positives to take from the performance, saying: “The players stuck to the game plan. Some players performed to a really high level.

“It is typical of the Dewsbury season this year, you show a bit of promise and then you do something wrong.

“Featherstone know how to put pressure on the opposition but we were a bit complicit in allowing them to do it.

“And sometimes our discipline let us down and sometimes the officiating let us down. I did feel at one point he (the referee) was refereeing under two different sets of rules.

“Ultimately, there is no complaint about the referee dictating the outcome of the fixture.”