THERE'S no doubt that Craig Sandercock has had it tough since coming in to replace Justin Morgan as Hull KR coach.
Cost cutting, losing senior players and the amount of injuries suffered (often to senior players) has left him bemoaning his bad luck for two seasons.
Whilst I thought the red and whites would replace their coach and start afresh, a new deal looks imminent and I'm glad that I was wrong and Rovers have opted for stability.
If it's stability the club are seeking, Sandercock is their man. He's toughed it out and his team often come up with the answers just when everyone expects them to fall and fail.
I think Sandercock has done, and is doing, a great job in difficult circumstances.
He clearly has no issues regarding his coaching ability, as he gets the best out of the players at his disposal, who I might add are still not his strongest possible team.
But Sandercock is bringing in younger players, looking to promote the club's own youth players and next on his agenda will be tying up his own deal and then quickly moving on to retaining the players he wants for 2014.
The May 1 date of players being allowed to talk to other clubs may well have hindered Sandercock and Rovers so far.
It's likely some players who were unsure of the club's future and the coach's future may well have started to be or are in advanced talks with other clubs. Players like Mickey Paea and Cory Paterson to name just two.
The coach and club now have a huge task to retain and recruit for 2014, but the fact Sandercock looks likely to stay may now sway some players who were thinking of moving on to stay.
Other players identified by Sandercock and his staff can also now be contacted and targeted in the hope of moving the club forward into 2014.
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