Everything Hull KR coach Danny McGuire said on naming 16-man squad, fears for sport and Tony Smith relationship

Injury and suspension issues will leave the Robins a man light for the clash at the MKM Stadium.

Here is what McGuire said on the situation, the wider issues in the game and his strained relationship with Tony Smith during today's press conference.

Naming a 16-man squad

That is the case. We've literally got 16 players available so we're naming a 16-man squad.

It's obviously not ideal and has been a challenging few weeks. That 16-man squad includes some young players and some players that are playing busted. They're putting their hand up and putting themselves through the pain barrier to get out there for us.

We probably could have added a couple of the part-time reserve lads to the squad but is that the right thing to do? If they're not physically ready to play, are we doing the right thing by just naming them because we've got nobody else?

We're already fast-tracking a couple of our younger players and playing them before we would have liked anyway. That's why we're naming 16 players.

It's disappointing the position that we're in and that's what is frustrating. Some of these outside influences have not helped that as well.

On whether it's down to the packed schedule

That doesn't help but we've had some long-term injuries and some concussion issues.

It's a combination of a lot of things and it's just caught up with us at the wrong time.

We haven't been able to have a crack at the back end of the season and that's one of the most disappointing things for me.

I've loved every second of it but I really believe if we'd have had 20-22 players and some competition for places at the back end of the season, we could have had a real crack and ruffled some feathers.

On whether it's an embarrassing look for the game and an elite competition

I think so. I wanted to name 17 or 18 because I didn't want it to look bad on the club because we're doing some fantastic things off the field with partnerships and sponsorships.

The club is really growing and it's a great place to work. I didn't want it to look bad on the club but we've got 16 players that are available to play.

We're naming the players that we think are capable of going out there, playing well and representing the club well.

Although it's not a great look for us as a club, it's the reality. We've just got to get on with it.

On whether this should be the tipping point on packed schedules

I think so. I read somewhere that they're changing it for next year but there are a number of things in the game that need to be looked at.

It's alright us speaking about it and talking about it every other week but until people step up and try and have an influence and make changes, we'll be speaking about the same things next year.

On whether coaches' voices are being heard

Probably not. We've got to take some ownership as well as coaches and ex-players.

It's okay speaking up after the event and we're all guilty of doing that. We complain about three games at the end of the season but we knew what was coming last November when the fixtures came out and all the clubs agreed to it so we've only got ourselves to blame.

We had the chance to vent our anger months and months ago and we didn't do it. We've probably got to take ownership and if we want the game to improve, we've got to air our frustrations because we love our game.

What the RFL have said about naming 16 players

The frustrating thing with the suspensions is the people in charge of our game know where we're at as a club and that we're teetering on the edge regarding numbers.

I don't want anyone doing special favours for us but I would have thought there may have been some common sense and leniency towards the situation - but obviously not.

Korbin Sims' ban

I'm disappointed and frustrated. There's no getting away from the fact that Korbin made contact with the referee after running into an altercation but it was accidental.

There just doesn't seem to be any common sense or any heart in the game anymore. It's very clinical and just because this happened he has to get this.

There's no common sense. I don't think Korbin has run in to purposely bump the referee.

In games, things happen in a split second and then you're getting people sitting down afterwards and watching it 15 times.

I'm disappointed for Korbin. He deserved the opportunity to go out in a big game and retiring on his own terms.

Jez Litten's failed appeal

I thought we had a really good case. We had some comparable tackles that only got cautions or one game and Jez's record is exemplary.

We felt like we had a really good case for it to get downgraded but the people that know the game better decided that wasn't the case.

I can't work that out. There are too many people spending time scouring games to try and find things.

Jez just wants to play rugby. We're not giving a local Hull lad an opportunity to play in one of the biggest games of the season. Nobody was injured in that tackle and the lad got up, played on and scored the winning try a couple of minutes later.

There's not a lot of common sense left in the game and that's the frustrating part of it from my point of view.

That's not just us - ask any other coaches, clubs and the fans. There's an element of frustration and finding it hard to understand because of the lack of consistency.

We would have been applauding that tackle three or four years ago. I'm all for people being suspended for foul play but he got underneath him, it was a low tackle and he landed on his back.

I get that we're trying to move away from concussions and neck injuries - and I'm all for that - but we can't take out of our game what makes our game special, which is the physicality of it.

Every time you go into a collision there's a chance you might get hurt and players know that. They're not daft.

We've just got to get that balance right otherwise we'll be playing masters rugby with yellow shorts on.

On widespread frustrations

A lot of people who love rugby league don't talk to me about our great players and great games; they just whinge about refs and suspensions. That tells me where we're at as a game.

On the concern of fans saying they are close to walking away from the sport due to inconsistencies and interpretation of foul play

One hundred per cent. We should be talking about Mikey Lewis, Jez Litten and all the superstar players in the game but nobody talks to me about that; it's about how annoyed they are and how disillusioned they are with our game.

That's just the reality and not me having a dig. It's just the game at the minute, unfortunately.

On whether the disciplinary system needs an overhaul

The biggest frustration is the inconsistencies. Everyone sees the game differently and it's a challenge.

I don't have all the answers but there are a few things in our game that are really challenging supporters and leaving people disillusioned.

We need to grab hold of that before we lose a fair bit of our audience.

On his comments at Wednesday's awards night on his relationship with Smith

Last year after being heavily involved and us getting to the semis, I felt like we had a good group and was really excited about this year.

Things changed over time - I was doing reserves and having less influence on the first team. I found myself on the periphery a bit.

The way things happened with Tony wasn't great for anybody and probably left a sour taste. It took us a while to get over.

I haven't spoken to him since he left but if I saw him in the street, I'd shake his hand. I always thank him for what he did for me as a player and I learned lots and lots off him in the early parts of my coaching as well.

Things happen in sport and in life. I don't take anything to heart.

I think Tony is looking to get back into the game and somebody would be fortunate to have a coach with his experience.

On whether the lack of contact since Smith left has surprised him

I've not really thought about it too much and won't lose sleep over it.