WHITEHAVEN faced a tough defeat when they took on York City Knights over the weekend. 

The West Cumbrian side came away with a 0-40 defeat when they took on the Yorkshire outfit on Sunday, September 1. 

The club described it as a 'tough afternoon' and head coach Kyle Amor shared his thoughts on the game. 

He said: "We lost the energy battle and that last try highlighted that there was a load of tired lads out there. 

"It's been incredibly tough over the last couple of weeks, but that first 25 minutes we weren't physically where we needed to be. 

"As soon as I saw the team with the front row and the four middles on the bench, we knew what was coming. 

"Knowing and understanding is one thing but actually doing it is a different thing altogether. We just got beat to the punch in every department in that first 25 minutes. 

"I actually felt that we had a better response in that second half although the scoreline was the same 20-0, if you want to look at it that way. 

"I think structurally they broke us down; they scored a barge over which is just a detail. They kicked through where Matt Walsh can't quite deal with it but that happens in a young winger's career, he'll learn from that. 

"They had three sets in our good ball and apart from that last try they scored twice, so I don't think structurally they picked us apart really. 

"I think, if anything, we won that field position in the second half. We had a fair few set down there, but we just weren't able to put anything together, and you do sometimes have to credit the away team. 

"That their league position isn't reflective of where they're at right now, their new coaches have come in and implemented things and their new team looks like they have a threat in that final running come September and October. 

"But for us, we just need to look to get a little bit better and understand that we're in this together and there's nobody else that can get us out of it."