JUSTIN Holbrook reflected on rugby league matters with the Star’s Mike Critchley.

MC: Have you worked out what went wrong?

JH: Primarily that 18-minute period in the first half when they scored all their points. That was a disappointing period in the game, but outside of that we tried really hard and could have won in the end.

We only conceded a penalty goal in the second half and they did not look like scoring.

But that period where we lapsed really cost us. Everyone was at fault at some stage in that period. That was the disappointing thing. We have to be better than that.

MC: You could see the players getting frustrated with how messy and slow the rucks were, is that something they have to deal with better?

JH: We knew Wakefield would try and play that way and try and slow the game down.

We can’t control that, but knew that going in.

All that aside, you are never going to be able to play the way you want all the time.

I thought our attack was good, we created enough chances and did not finish a few off, but credit to Wakefield they defended well. In the end the end we were within striking distance of winning a game where we had not played near our best.

I am really disappointed we did not win.

MC: A key call in the game came when Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook was penalised for walking off the mark. Was that harsh?

JH: You cannot give that as a penalty. You are penalising the attacking team who is one metre off the opposition try line on tackle one. All we were trying to do was play the ball – the guy wouldn’t let Louie go.

He has fallen forward and walked back, so he was not benefiting us by playing the ball slower.

I did not want to comment on it after the game, but I just couldn’t believe that went the other way with four or five minutes to go.

We were in a position to win the game there and it got taken away from us. But I keep coming back to it – if we don’t have those lapses in defence we win that game by 10 without needing to score at the end and without bringing the decisions into play.

It was a stop start-game and the players got frustrated but we have to be better than that.

MC: You could see Mark Percival’s frustration when he spoke to the touch judge, but he is going to have to learn a lesson.

JH: I get the reason why he is disappointed. In the first half Ben Jones Bishop puts a kick in and Zeb Taia just touches him and the same linesman says penalty.

Then with a couple of minutes to go, Percy is taken out after the kick in the same fashion and that is not a penalty BUT that is irrelevant.

For a player to take it into his own hands is not acceptable. The penalty got blown and Percy thought it was our way, but it was the other way and there were some swear words there.

But you have to have discipline. He cost us. It sent us down to 12-man after us having an advantage with two and a half minutes to go.

And through his dumb decision he took that away from us. He has let himself and the team down this week, that is for sure.

MC: What options have you got for centre?

JH: Matt Costello has been going really well and although I will chat to the other coaches, I am likely to bring Cossy in.

He has had a few good runs at Sheffield, he is a good young player.

We could move a lot of players around, so am not 100 per cent sure and we have the luxury of Jonny there too.

But Cossy will definitely come into the mix.

MC: Theo looked like he rolled his ankle in the second half, is he ok?

JH: Not sure, but we are hopeful and won’t know until later in the week.

I though both hookers did a good job. It was hard for Matty Smith because apart from the first two minutes we did not have the ball for the whole time he was on the field.

When Theo came on we started to get possession back and were starting to dominate the game.

You are always going to miss Robes, but him not playing did not have a bearing on the outcome of the game.

MC: How far is Robes off?

JH: He won’t play this week – the week after would be nice, but he is not far off. We want to get him right though.

MC: In context it is nine wins from 11, this time last year it was four from 11.

JH: We are in a very good position, but we want to play well every week. It is hard for every team. I looked at the other games from the weekend and they were not a great standard either. Everyone played three games over Easter and you do not recover from that in a day.

It is standard turnarounds coming up now so everyone will be back to normal and that will help everybody.

MC: Just a quick check on Big Al’s progress?

JH: No real update. He has got his own rehab stuff that he is doing, so he is around the boys.

He won’t have his first scan until the end of May. There is no point doing it before then because you have to give time for the bone to heal. He is going well and it is good to have him around, but no news on the timeframe on his return.

MC: And Adam Swift?

JH: He is doing his rehab. It has been four weeks so he has another couple weeks away.