The Robins showed signs of physical and mental fatigue en route to a 12-0 loss to Leeds Rhinos that ended their six-match winning streak.
Injuries compounded the result at Headingley, far from ideal preparation for a big game at Elland Road.
After his team’s fourth game in two weeks, Smith delivered a blow to the powers that be on Friday night.
Asked if he trusted his players to come up with an answer against Huddersfield, Smith replied: “They will if they can.
“You also saw the game last night (Wakefield v Huddersfield), God the quality of rugby league… Sorry but it’s hard to watch.
“We have to wake up to it at some point. I’m not complaining, I’m just concerned about injuries and player concerns. You also have to look at the quality of rugby league.
“Our guys will fix it to the best of their ability through their desire if their bodies are physically capable.”
Rovers will be without Lachlan Coote (head) and Sam Wood (knee) at Elland Road, while Matty Storton (shoulder) is a big doubt.
But the Robins will welcome back captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall and hooker Jez Litten after they did not play at Headingley.
“We have kids who wear niggles and we either take care of them or we don’t,” Smith said. “We take care of him (Kenny-Dowall) so that he comes back.
“Jez had a scan on her knee last week and they found nothing wrong. he was sore. We probably could have risked it and he could have been hurt more.
“We took that bet not to play with him to have a fresh body for next week.”
Albert Vete was left sweating over a possible penalty after being penalized for a high tackle against Leeds, but Smith refused to get carried away by the possibility of losing support for the semi-final.
“Seriously, I was standing on the sidelines and I saw it live,” the Rovers head coach said. “I didn’t get a chance to see him again. It would be foolish to even make a comment.”
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-01 09:40:39
