Woolf Q&A: Tommy's impact and Roosters challenge

MC: The mood must be pretty positive going into the Roosters game after Sunday’s win?

KW: It is very positive – that said, it was even before going to Hull. We didn’t play well against Warrington, however, with those couple of blokes coming back in and their class really helped us.

Roosters game is a great challenge against a team that everyone sees as the best team in the world, and that is a real motivator for us to go out and perform against them.

Tommy Makinson comes off his wing to make a tackle. Pic: SWpix.com

MC: The return of Tommy Makinson – and immediately he shows what you have been missing with the way he starts the sets off?

KW: He is a good player Tommy. His impact on the game was probably a little bit undersold I suppose until we had a look at the numbers. He had 20 carries for us and most of them were very effective and got us a good play the ball off the back of it as well.

He does a terrific job in how he starts the sets for us. The other thing we did not get to show as much at the weekend as much as we would like to going forward was his terrific finishing ability.

As everyone gets comfortable with Tommy being back in the side we will get to use that a bit more too.

James Bentley's try. Pic: SWpix.com

MC: Apart from that blip where Saints conceded a penalty in possession and compounded it with the errors leading to the try you were you pleased with the first half as well as the second?

KW: I thought it was a good game of footy that first 40 minutes. What I liked about what we were doing – and you are right that was a disappointing two-minute period to give away a penalty with the ball, another for mouthing off which gave them field position. And then we allowed a try where we were a metre off the pace.

But for the rest of the 40 minutes I thought we defended really well and started to get a bit more disciplined, as we have had to in a few more games with the ball. But we started to get more opportunities without quite nailing it at that stage.

We showed if we are to remain patient and keep doing the same things we were always going to find some points in the second half. That is what happened.

Jonny Lomax/ Pic: PA Wire

MC: Jonny Lomax really stepped up and showed his class for a handful of those tries?

KW: Jonny does that every week – he is terrific player. I have said a number of times he is a real world class player in that position and he’ll have to show that again this weekend.

MC: He takes that ball right to the line – and he knows what is coming and gets whacked, but knows exactly what to do?

KW: That is what the really good halves do – they are a threat at the line with the ball. That is what makes them so dangerous when they do find a pass as well.

Sydney Roosters last year's winners. Pic: SWpix.com

MC: You will be very familiar with the Roosters players – as a coach do you have to be selective what info you pass on to your players to work on this week without overloading them?

KW: With every team we have to cover what we see as their biggest threats so we are prepared defensively with what we think is going to come at us.

We look at where we can find some opportunity as well in terms of what we do with the ball. This week is no different we need to find those same things as we do every week.

The other important thing is worrying about us. If we play to our potential in defence we are hard to score points on.

If we attack at our best like we did in the second half at Hull – without making errors – then we are going to find points.

We are going to have a real focus on ourselves and not get too caught up by the Roosters.