Eaton frustration at camera-shy Cougars (From Keighley News)

Eaton frustration at camera-shy Cougars

9:40am Thursday 18th June 2009

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Barry Eaton analysed Keighley Cougars’ 46-6 defeat against Dewsbury Rams and insisted: “We made them look better than they are.”

The club’s big night in front of the TV cameras ended in massive disappointment as they were crushed by the Co-op Championship One leaders.

Dewsbury charged to a tenth successive victory and are now overwhelming title favourites after easily swatting aside the challenge of one of their major rivals.

Keighley dropped down to fourth on points difference behind York City Knights but Eaton maintains they aren’t that far behind the Rams.

They trailed just 12-6 not long before the break and had a gilt-edged opportunity to level the contest.

Dan Potter bombed it though, the hosts went in 18-6 up and then stretched out after the re-start.

“Dan probably should have scored and potentially we could have gone in 12-12,” said Eaton.

“Even in the second half, George Rayner had the ball pinched out of his grasp over the line, Dan Potter got picked out again after a Danny Jones break and we had around eight good chances of scoring.

“That was all on the back of a completion rate of just 41 per cent and we certainly feel we made Dewsbury look better than what they actually are.

“We just needed to get some possession and get to the end of our sets after the break, apply some pressure and give ourselves a chance. But we didn’t do that and our last plays weren’t good enough.

“Dewsbury got far too much of a roll on on the edges of our defence. We controlled them up the middle all right but they seemed to make in-roads every time they went to our edges.”

Eaton added: “Six out of their eight tries came on the last tackle which is really, really disappointing. Players have got to be switched on for another ten seconds and it’s something we need to fix up.

“Dewsbury effectively got two sets to every one of ours. With their size and power we needed to keep the ball as much as we could but we played straight into their hands.”

They face the Rams again in front of a televised audience on Thursday, July 30 at Cougar Park when Eaton expects his side to have learned from those costly errors.

The Cougars are without a game this weekend and are back in action against at home to Rochdale Hornets on June 28.

Meanwhile, the club admits it might have to look into cancelling the remainder of Brendan Rawlins’ contract for this year if the frustrated Aussie prop can’t sort his visa problem shortly.

He has been Down Under since February 27 awaiting the green light, although the RFL has this week given him and the club a contact at the British Embassy in Canberra.

Fellow prop Simon Bissell is expected to join rivals Blackpool Panthers on a one-month loan deal.

The Wigan-based player has been having trouble getting to training after starting a new job in Preston.

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