The Liam Farrell column: '˜We're under pressure, and that's our own fault'

The mood in the changing room at Huddersfield last Friday was a bit sour. Mainly because of the way we started the game.
Liam Farrell in action at HuddersfieldLiam Farrell in action at Huddersfield
Liam Farrell in action at Huddersfield

We put ourselves under so much pressure by going 13-0 down.

I honestly think Huddersfield will cause some problems to teams this year. They have some strong ball-carriers - Leroy Cudjoe is going really well for them, we all know what Jermaine McGillvary brings, they have some very good front-rowers and Danny Brough controls things really well.

I knew going into the game that it was going to be hard, and to come away with a draw, it obviously could have been worse.

But I can’t get away from our poor start.

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And the fact we didn’t win meant it was our worst run in the league without a win for more than a century.

That’s not something we wanted - nobody wants to be involved with a run like that.

But at the same time, it’s not something which bothers me going into our next game.

We’re obviously disappointed with our recent league results and where we sit in the league. But I know we are capable of getting ourselves out of this position.

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People will question our form and, given our recent results, I can’t blame them.

But if you take our last two results – a win against Warrington in the Cup, a draw at Huddersfield – and if we can add two wins on top of that, they may look back and say it’s not been a bad month.

So what’s important is what happens next. We’re in a position now where we can’t afford to drop points if we are going to go anywhere challenging for the top-four.

We’ve got four games before the season splits for the Super-8s, and we want to win all four, and I think we’re capable of doing that.

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I know we’re putting ourselves under pressure by saying that, but we’ve put ourselves into this position – it’s time for us to get ourselves out of it.

Widnes beat us twice at the DW last year, so there’ll be no-one going into this game under-estimating them in any way.

Last time out, they came with a lot of enthusiasm, and made it hard for us to break them down.

It’s on us to turn up with the same desire and, after last week’s result, we’ll put a big focus on starting the game well.

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A few clubs, especially nearer the bottom, have been strengthening their squads for the rest of the season.

Catalans have made a smart off-field appointment by bringing in Steve McNamara.

I’ve a lot to be thankful to Steve for; he brought me into the England set-up and gave me by debut during the 2013 World Cup.

But I also think he’ll complement Catalans, not only this season but certainly next year and beyond.

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They’ve always been a side which likes to play, and if he can improve their basics and fundamentals, he may just be the missing piece of the jigsaw they’ve been looking for.

Away from training, I’ve been using our time off to baby-proof our house.

We only recently moved in, so we’ve been getting everything ready – Laura is due in four weeks, and we’re both excited.

We’re not sure what we’re having, we’re keeping that as a surprise.

Many of the lads went to Micky McIlorum’s race-day on Saturday.

Derby House did a great job hosting the event, and everyone who went along seemed to have a good time.

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