‘I am not expecting any new bodies at all’ - Craig Lingard reveals ‘frustrations’ at Batley Bulldogs’ skeletal squad ahead of ‘difficult’ trip to Barrow Raiders

The situation isn’t much greater this week, as the Bulldogs prepare to visit Barrow Raiders, on Sunday, July 2, kick off 3pm, looking to bounce back after having their splendid seven-game winning streak abruptly ended by London Broncos.

“I have been saying behind the scenes for the last three or four weeks that we are going to get turned over in a game that we shouldn’t necessarily get turned over in because the players just keep putting their bodies on the line week after week after week,” revealed an exasperated Lingard. “It’s no secret that I’ve tried to bring people in. I have had discussions behind the scenes about trying to get somebody in and, as yet, it’s not been forthcoming.

“The reasons are not 100 per cent clear to me. But, for the longevity of the team, and looking after the players we have got, we are in a period where we have played six, seven really tough games and the boys are taking a lot of knocks.

“They’re part-time players working full-time, so, in terms of the rehab, they have not got the time that the full-time players have to dedicate to their rehab. They have got to get up on a Monday morning and go straight to work. They’re spending five days a week at work and coming to us on a Tuesday and Thursday and a Saturday morning. It’s a seven day working week. The toll that it is taking on them is quite significant.”

He went on: “It’s no secret if you look at all of the other teams in the division, they’re all recruiting and bringing people in because they’re in the same situation as us. They're bringing people in to keep it nice and fresh and are trying to reinvigorate and have that little bit of an impetus for the second half of the season.

“I get that finances dictate what we can and what we can’t do. But we have got several players clinging on at the minute by their fingertips and they could just drop off at the same time. If they do, we’ll be in a similar situation as we were (last week).

“It’s difficult. It’s frustrating from my point of view as a coach. I understand where I am and where the club is. We know what we have got, but it’s just frustrating at times that you can see players struggling.

“The training we have not been able to do because we haven’t got the numbers there, even on a Thursday we’re doing stuff that’s non-contact. It’s simulated because we can’t afford to do anything too strenuous or aggressive because we know we’re struggling to get people on the field on a weekend and if we lose anybody else because of a little bit of contact in training, we can’t afford to do it.

“I am not expecting any new bodies at all. I am expecting to run with what we have got for the rest of the season. If I expect anything less I am going to get frustrated and we are going to be disappointed.”

Lucas Walshaw is a long-term absentee with knee ligament damage, while Luke Blake (shoulder) and Josh Hodson (hand) picked up injuries in the defeat against London.

Josh Woods and James Brown are still doubts, as is Johnny Campbell, despite being recalled from his loan spell at Hunslet. Samy Kibula has also been recalled from his stint at Rochdale but he has still got to serve the second of a two-match suspension.

Adam Gledhill and Keegan Hirst, however, could return to the squad.

“There might be a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a very, very long tunnel, so we will see how quickly we can get through it,” said Lingard.

“I had Lucas Walshaw last Thursday, when he still has another six to seven weeks of rehab to do, saying if you need me I’ll go on the bench and I’ll go on. That’s great.

“You have got players who are putting their hands up and players who are willing to put their bodies on the line for the team. It is absolutely fantastic. But what we don’t want to do is put those players in a situation where we bring them back for the sake of a 15-minute appearance that could put them out for another three or four months.”

On the prospect of facing Barrow this weekend, Lingard said:

“It’s always difficult going up to Barrow. They have got that unpredictability about them. I don’t think Jarrod Sammut knows what he is going to do, so how do we know what he’s going to do?! They like to play off the cuff and play expansive. If they nail it, it looks absolutely outstanding.

"When they don’t nail it they can come up with a lot of errors. They can either be absolutely on fire or they can be full of errors.

“Defensively, we need to put them under a bit of pressure and try and force some errors that they can come up with if they play an expansive game. We need to capitalise on any errors they do make and look after the ball better than what we did against London.”