Pre-Match Interview | George Griffin | Dewsbury Rams (A)

28/03/2026

George Griffin believes the Eagles can turn last weekend’s disappointment into a catalyst for improvement as they prepare to face Dewsbury Rams tomorrow in Round 8 of the Betfred Championship (3pm KO).

Sheffield travel to the FLAIR Stadium looking to rediscover the form that saw them go unbeaten in their opening four fixtures of the season. After a frustrating home defeat to Oldham last Sunday, the focus this week has been on responding in the right way.

For Griffin, the early stages of the campaign have offered plenty of encouragement, both collectively and personally, as he continues to settle into life with the South Yorkshire club.

“It’s been a pretty encouraging start that we’ve made to the season, especially after hearing about last season’s results and after we’ve had plenty of new players coming in to form this new group”, said Griffin.

The 33-year-old has transitioned into part-time rugby league this year and feels the move has come at the right stage of his career, allowing him to enjoy his rugby in a fresh environment.

“I’m really enjoying my time here so far, I certainly felt like it was the right time for me to transition from full-time to part-time rugby league”, he added.

“The group has been really welcoming, and I love the way we’re being coached by Craig (Lingard), I love my role in the team, and it’s nice to be getting plenty of minutes under my belt so far.

“I feel like I’m playing alright at the minute, I think I have got more in me and more to give, I’ve really enjoyed it here so far with Sheffield, and I’m hoping we can get lots more wins as the season progresses.”

Griffin has also enjoyed a resurgence in front of the try line. Having not scored since 2022, he has crossed for four tries in his last two matches, an unexpected but welcome contribution from the experienced forward.

“It’s been quite a while since I crossed for a try,” he added.

“It would have been nice to just get one, but to get four in two games is surprising. I feel like I’ve been on the lucky end of the ball with some of them, but I’m really pleased to have been able to get a few and help contribute to the team.”

Last weekend’s defeat still lingers, particularly given the attacking quality Sheffield displayed. Scoring 30 points would typically be enough to secure a victory, but a late Oldham try proved costly in the closing stages.

“Last week’s defeat hit us hard, we thought that it was a game that we could capitalise on, we scored thirty points, and normally that should be enough to win a game.

“We looked sharp in attack, but there’s clearly some areas defensively which we need to work on if we want to be better.

“We probably had that game in the bag three times last week; we probably shot ourselves in the foot and let it slip through our hands.”

Even so, Griffin pointed to the team’s resilience under pressure as a positive takeaway, highlighting a growing mentality within the squad.

“I’ll say that we faced a lot of adversity last week and we only lost the game in the final few minutes, and I think it’s testament to our new mentality within the group. We weren’t happy at all with the loss, but lots of things were going against us and we still managed to keep the game close.”

Attention now turns to Dewsbury tomorrow, where Griffin expects a tough contest against a side that will be eager to impose themselves early.

“It was a heartbreaking defeat last week, but hopefully we can get back to winning ways at Dewsbury.

“We know that our discipline and ball control and game management need to be a lot better heading into Sunday. I’ve been there previously in some friendlies and cup games over the years, I know exactly what to expect from them, and they will make it hard for us.

“They’ll come out firing at all accounts, but we want to get back on that winning ladder and put our best foot forward.”

“As a team, I’d say were not at our best yet, we’re still stringing things together as we speak, I think it’s a sign of a good team when we’re winning games, but we expect more of ourselves and hopefully there is a lot more to come from us.”