Super League coaches try to keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs - James O'Brien comment

Wakefield Trinity are sinking without a trace with their worst squad of the Super League era.

Up the road at Castleford Tigers, the only way to avoid a relegation battle with their neighbours is to sack Lee Radford.

Any positive takes are quickly drowned out in a place where negativity snowballs.

The frustration is understandable after a disappointing start to the season, one that has been a long time in the making.

In an ideal world, players and teams would hit the ground running and be picture-perfect from the get-go – but sport is not that simple.

Of course, positive signs are welcome and a win can do wonders for your weekend mood.

But definitive conclusions cannot be drawn from the early stages of a season.

Last year, Warrington Wolves won their first three games and finished 11th, whereas Leeds Rhinos were victorious only once in the opening nine rounds and reached the Grand Final.

Wakefield appeared to be down and out heading into the home straight, yet secured safety with weeks to spare.

Castleford, meanwhile, lost their opening three games and five of their first six, only to come within minutes of claiming a play-off spot without a settled spine.

While there are no guarantees, history shows that situations and moods can change quickly in sport.

The challenge for coaches is to keep a level head and shut out the outside noise.

After a 6-0 half-time deficit became a 36-0 defeat – a third loss in a row at the start of 2023 – Radford chose to take encouragement from the way the Tigers started against Wigan Warriors.

“In the first half, I was really pleased with the arm wrestle we were in," said Radford, who lost Paul McShane, Niall Evalds and Bureta Faraimo to injury.

“Performance-wise, I thought we showed a bit of fitness and had a couple of opportunities which we probably should have taken.

“In the second half, staying in that grind was obviously difficult with all the bumps and bruises that occurred.

“Coupled with some bad decisions, it all adds up to a scoreline like that but I was very pleased with how the first half went.”

Wakefield, too, were nilled on Friday night, only in their case for the second week running.

After seeing his team outmuscled by Huddersfield Giants on the back of defeats to Catalans Dragons and Wigan, Trinity boss Mark Applegarth tried to put his side's early-season struggles into perspective.

“We’re in round three and we’ve played three out of last year’s top four,” said Applegarth.

“It’s not panic now or doom and gloom by any means. There’s a lot of effort there and a lot of things we can work with.

“The effort and application is there, we just have to get a bit smarter in certain parts of the field. We have to put our attack together we showed against Catalans and our defence we showed tonight.”

Putting it all together is the challenge all teams face at this time of the year.

Even St Helens – widely regarded as the greatest team of the Super League era – can show vulnerabilities.

The world champions appeared to be on course for a 13th straight win over Leeds, only to blow a 24-12 lead in the closing stages after losing their cool.

Rhinos boss Rohan Smith did not choose his words by accident in the aftermath of the first victory of the season.

"I think the players will take something out of that for sure and remind our supporter base we can still play despite two results," he said.

"The fans that were here and I'm sure a few are shouting through the screen, hopefully that reinforces that."

Another unexpected result at Craven Park means that only two clubs – Warrington and Catalans – have perfect records after three rounds, which hints at a competitive campaign across the board.

On the back of two positive results, Hull KR were left stunned by a late Leigh Leopards comeback but will reset and strive for improvement.

Boss Willie Peters said: "We need to freshen them up a bit, take a breath and go again. We will look at the areas we need to improve technically."

Like their bitter rivals, Hull FC were given something of a reality check as they suffered a heavy defeat to Catalans in the south of France.

Tony Smith – Super League's most experienced coach – is of the mantra that defeats can make a team stronger.

“It will toughen us up and sometimes the hardest lessons provide the best outcomes," he said.

By the time the business end of the Super League season arrives, few will remember where they were in early March.