Jason Demetriou has urged Cougars to relax and enjoy their moment in the spotlight.
A trip to Super League leaders Warrington in the Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round will put the club centre stage, and Keighley’s player-coach can’t wait.
Having played the best part of a decade in Super League himself, Demetriou is well aware of what to expect and reckons tomorrow’s tie could provide a huge boost for the entire season.
He said: “It will be really good in terms of the rest of the season and emphasising what we need to learn and what we can do.
“If we can compete, it will give them a massive amount of confidence, especially the younger players, who will see whether they’re good enough. If they do certain things well it will give them the confidence to believe they can play at a higher level.
“It’s also good to get away from the intensity of the Championship for a week.
“There’s a lot of expectation on us to get promoted, and we’ve made no secret of the fact that’s our goal this season.
“With that comes pressure but this week there’s none of that. There is no expectation on us so we can relax and enjoy the occasion.”
Few observers will expect a giant-killing, considering Warrington’s habit of posting huge scores this season.
Wolves have scored at least 58 points in three of their last four games, including a 58-14 demolition of the Bulls last time out.
But Demetriou has urged his players to keep their eyes off the scoreboard.
He said: “I’m going to set the players a goal to look at every set rather than looking at the scoreline.
“We want to break it down to six tackles and work hard on each one in defence. When we get the ball, we need to focus on completing our sets and trying to execute plays.
“If we do that, we may give Warrington a few surprises.”
James Haythornthwaite, Craig Moss and Brendon Rawlins have all returned to fitness ahead of tomorrow’s game to provide Demetriou with selection headaches.
His young side have racked up four consecutive victories but the Halliwell Jones Stadium clash will provide a stern test of overall standards.
“I’ve been trying to teach the players Super League standards,” said Demetriou.
“I’ve said from the start I don’t just want to prepare them for the Championship but for higher levels as well. On Sunday they’ll see the results of that and they’ll see what standards they have to reach.”
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