Kells are at home once again this weekend and have nine wins from ten and a points difference that tells its own story. But if you listened to Head Coach Peter Smith after last week’s 62–4 win over East Leeds in NCRL's Division One, you wouldn’t have thought his side had just put sixty on anyone.
He wasn’t interested in the margin. He was interested in the habits.
“You can only play what’s in front of you,” he said, “but games like that can fetch in bad habits if you’re not careful. We’ve just got to keep our processes and our shape.”
And that’s been the theme around the club for a few weeks now. Kells started fast against East Leeds, drifted for a spell, then tightened up again after the break. The second half looked more like the version of Kells that Smith wants to see.
“Once we get into our shape, we can cause any team problems,” he said. “It’s just about knuckling down and playing the game the right way.”
They’ll need that mindset again because Pilkington Recs arrive in a strange spot: second bottom, but suddenly with a bit of life about them. They went to Stanningley last week and pinched a 22–18 win late on, crossing four times and showing the kind of stubbornness that can make a struggling side awkward to deal with. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough to remind everyone they’re not rolling over.
Kells, though, are in a very different rhythm. Clarke Chambers is playing like a man who’s rediscovered his spark, Karl Garner looks hungry again, and younger players such as Finn Miller, Eddie Calvin and Jake Hodson, are pushing the older heads in a way the club hasn’t had for a couple of seasons.
“We’ve got competition now,” Smith said. “People are looking over their shoulders.”
That competition is showing in the performances. There’s a balance to the side, a bit of depth, and a sense that the group is starting to understand what it takes to stay at the top rather than just visit it.
Pilks will come with confidence after last week, but the table doesn’t lie. They’ve conceded 310 points in ten games. Kells have scored 332. It’s top versus second bottom, but Smith won’t let anyone treat it like a formality.
He’s been clear about the standard he wants, pointing to a recent contact session with Workington Town as the level that Kells should strive for every week.
“If we can play at that pace, we become a thorn in anyone’s side,” he said.
So the job this weekend is simple: stay ruthless, stay tidy, stay in shape. Pilks showed they can hang in games and strike late, but if Kells play with the control and tempo they’ve been building, they’ll give themselves every chance to keep the pressure on at the top.
NCRL National League Fixtures - Saturday 13 June
Premier Division
Heworth v West Hull
Lock Lane v York Acorn
Siddal v Hunslet ARLFC
Thatto Heath Crusaders v Rochdale Mayfield
Waterhead Warriors v Wath Brow Hornets
Wigan St Judes v West Bowling
Division One
Dewsbury Celtic v Dewsbury Moor Maroons
Egremont Rangers v Leigh Miners Rangers
Kells v Pilkington Recs
Oldham St Annes v Oulton Raiders
Shaw Cross Sharks v Stanningley
Wigan St Patricks v East Leeds
National Conference
Cumbria
Ulverston v Millom
Barrow Island v Dalton
Ellenborough v Hindpool Tigers
Hensingham v Maryport
North West
Ashton Bears v Crosfields
Blackbrook v Woolston Rovers
Clock Face Miners v Orrell St James
Leigh East v Ince Rose Bridge
South
Bedford Tigers v Brentwood Eels
Eastern Rhinos v Wests Warriors
Hammersmith Hill Hoists v North Herts Crusaders
London Chargers v Bristol All Golds
Yorkshire A
Bradford Dudley Hill v Moldgreen
Drighlington v King Cross Park
Mirfield Spartans v Beverley
Stanley Rangers v Keighley Albion
Thornhill Trojans v Myton Warriors
Yorkshire B
Bentley v Newsome Panthers
Featherstone Lions v Kippax Welfare
Hull Dockers v Fryston Warriors
Normanton Knights v Milford
Skirlaugh v Siddal Academy
By Dave Parkinson
Photo Credit: 13 Pro Am Community RL
