McCormack praises professional Lions

Steve McCormack has praised the professional attitude of his players after their 70-10 victroy over Gateshead.

Swinton scored six tries in each half and were never troubled by their north-east rivals.

McCormack said: “We were professional from start to finish. Our kicking game and our kick-chase was a lot better than it has been in previous weeks and that set a good platform for us. It wasn’t easy and we had to be patient.”

“Gateshead have some good players so we identified their threats and locked them up for most of the game.”

McCormack compared the performance to the loss against Leigh, and said the completion rate was vastly improved.

He said: “Our completion rate in the first half was nearly 90 percent and if you compare that to the Leigh game, which was nearer 40 per cent, it shows a massive improvement.

“The players who hadn’t played over the last few weeks like David Mills and Danny Meekin were exceptional.

“They tore into the Gateshead forwards and laid a good platform for the rest of the team.

“That was pleasing because they got frustrated and that gave us opportunities. Both those players were excellent.”