Mac: Quins must show grit (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Mac: Quins must show grit

4:43pm Monday 8th February 2010 in

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Brian McDermott admits his Harlequins RL squad must learn to handle the pressure-cooker situations if they are to be anything other than also-rans this season.

Quins suffered an 11-try, 58-0 drubbing at Warrington on Sunday as a youthful, inexperienced London side was torn to shreds.

And McDermott reckons his charges must heed the lessons if anything is to improve.

He said: “The simple fact is we did not handle the occasion.

“It was a big game, with a big crowd and we did not deal with the situation.

“Right from the off we allowed them to be as good as they wanted to be and that is not acceptable.

“At the moment I am not too concerned with winning games, it is the performances we have to get right and, being totally honest, there was nothing for us to build on from that game.”

Already shorn of a number of big-hitters to injury, Quins were further hampered when Ben Jones-Bishop (shoulder) and Danny Ward (virus) were scratched before kick-off, meaning rare starts for Jamie O’Callaghan and Dave Williams.

And the Quins coach sought crumbs of comfort from his young guns.

McDermott added: “It was good to give Jamie and Dave some game time and somewhere down the line that may become useful.

“In two or three years time I expect them to be regulars and hopefully they will look back on this day and make sure they never go through something like it again.”

The Stoop side will look to earn their first points of the Super League campaign when they welcome Catalan Dragons to London this weekend.

But McDermott has stopped short of deeming it a must-win encounter.

He added: “I do not accept that it is a game we cannot afford to lose.

“At this stage of the season all I care about is the team performance.

“Catalans is a chance for us to put some things right, lay some foundations and start to build for the rest of the campaign.”

Harlequins RL’s next three matches: Feb 14 Catalan Dragons (h), 21 Melbourne Storm (h), 26 Hull FC (a)