Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge hails 'phenomenal job' of Hull Seahawks rival Matty Davies

In the regular season head-to-head series, it was the Knights who enjoyed Yorkshire bragging rights when winning four games out of the six.

But the Seahawks evened the overall score, as it were, when winning both legs of the National Cup semi-final between the two.

Both teams have enjoyed a dominant win apiece - Leeds’ 5-0 triumph in Hull in December checked off by the Seahawks’ 5-1 Cup win in Leeds in February. But, on the whole, all meetings have been tight affairs.

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Knights’ head coach Ryan Aldridge expects that trend to continue in the play-offs and admires the job done by opposite number Matty Davies, who of course played under him at Leeds in the second half of the 2021-22 season, as well as at Swindon Wildcats back in 2008-09.

“He’s done a great job, especially with him being new to coaching,” said Aldridge.

“You obviously have some ups and you have some downs. And he had some downs, they had a bit of a lull in the middle of the season and he got down about it.

“But the way he has turned it around and got to a cup final with a team that can beat anyone on any given night, he has done a phenomenal job there.

“The last move he made by bringing Owen Sobchak in has been a great one because they have been a way better team since he’s been there.”

Davies only retired from playing last season due to a recurring knee injury, but is widely regarded as one of the best British-born centres to have played the game in recent years.

Aldridge says a great player does not always translate to being a great coach, but believes Davies has made an impressive start to life behind the bench.

“Matty was a very smart, skilled player,” added Aldridge. “But that doesn’t always translate well behind the bench. It can help and it can’t - Wayne Gretzky, the best player there has ever been, but he just wasn’t very good at coaching.

“Matty was a very talented hockey player who always read the game very well, but it’s not easy getting that across to players - they all learn in different ways, at different speeds - and so he has clearly managed to do that very well.”