Dewsbury Rams head coach Neil Kelly took charge of his final game of the season, which ended in a superb 52-6 victory over Leigh Centurions at The Tetley’s Stadium.
Kelly was delighted with the victory, he said: “I think its an indictment of the whole game in general at the moment, great teams and great clubs are turning up to grounds with only 13 players. Unfortunately I have been involved in situations where you are facing teams with not a full compliment of players. However it’s still important you do what you need to do to get the win, but if you start to treat them as if they are a weakened or under strength side you can end up looking embarrassed.
“It was important we did the right things at the end of the game and capitalized on the lack of numbers they had.
“We asked the players at half time how they wanted to win the game, if we wanted to win it scruffy, which it ultimately was in the last ten to fifteen minutes. However before then I thought we did well. When we did complete sets and defended well we forced the errors and then scored the tries.”
Kelly who arrived at the club 18 months ago helped guide the club to Betfred Championship safety and he again helped the club to achieve that again this season.
On his time at the club and this season in particular he said: “Throughout all this year I have to compliment the group and the players, sometimes we haven’t had great control of the ball and our discipline hasn’t been the best. I have sounded a bit silly sometimes after games trying to defend the situation saying we are a good side and we were doing enough wrong. That’s for the next person to sort out the discipline and the errors, once that is sorted there is a good side here.
“It’s been a season of if’s, what’s, maybe’s and could have been’s, there has been some high points in it, for example drawing away at Halifax who have done well in the middle eights. There are games that I am really proud of and those gave everyone an indication of what the side could have achieved. Like I say we do enough wrongs to go against what we do right.”
It was announced last week that Kelly would be leaving the club due to personal reasons, and although disappointed to be leaving, he insists he’ll have fond memories of being at the club.
He explained: “It is common knowledge now that I have got issues in my private life that I need to sort out, hopefully they will work out how I think everyone will want them to work out. If in two months time we are in a situation where we can put that situation on the back burner then I’ll be looking for another job, so it won’t be the end of me.
“Do you know that when I have been here and to Widnes and wherever else I have been, I have been more about enjoying my time wherever I have gone. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and the response the players gave at the end of last season, that showed in the results.
“Like I say there have been high points this season, but there have been other points which have been less enjoyable, I am disappointed to be leaving but that is life.”
He continued: “Everything I do or say is for the good of Dewsbury Rams, even if it is sparking off a debate about the way forward for the club. I made my debut here as a player back in 1982 which is a long time ago and there are some people here who have been at the club before that.
“It’s not about supporters, coaches and players, it’s about friendships and throughout all this year and especially in the difficult last third of the season I have lots of supporters who have given me some personal support and I appreciate that and won’t forget it. I’d like to think when and if I do come back I’ll see those faces again.
“I think it is a brilliant club, it should be the blue print for clubs this size, it is never gonna be in the near future a club like a St Helens or a Wigan or a Leeds. It has got some great facilities and all the facilitates it needs, it’s got training pitches coming out of it’s ears, weight rooms that are going to be developed over the next 18 month.
“Actually what we have got can be seen as a ball and chain around our foot, which it shouldn’t be, it should be to promote the club. You have clubs who don’t have what we have and sometimes they are seen as more financially secure than what we are because they don’t have to pay for the maintenance of these facilities.
“I think the game should be proud of what clubs like Dewsbury and Batley provide, and on the contrary it seems quite the opposite they are seen as burdens.”
