The beating of a hurriedly assembled and disjointed Hornets back in February might well have been expected by some, but in pasting a durable Keighley side two weeks ago they showed that they mean serious business.

Key to Hunslet’s rennaissance is the triangle at the heart of their side. In Danny Wood, Latham Tawhai and Craig Booth at 6,7 and 8 the Hawks have a blend of guile and... er... presence that gives them a sturdy look. And it’s a fact not lost on Roy Sampson. “Our experienced players are setting a fine example,” he said after the Keighley win: “We have done lots of hard work to deal with our attitude...” - and we can be sure that Boothy will bring plenty of that with him.

As we saw in round one of the LTC, Hunslet have a settled, well drilled core to their side that gives them a resilience that’s hard to shake. Whilst Booth and fellow prop Mick Coyle provide the raw horsepower to take the Hawks forward and Tawhai and Wood are able distributors, there are plenty of players willing to capitalise on the opportunities created - indeed, seven players grabbed tries against Keighley. Wingers, centres, hooker, half backs, props and second row all featured - so there’s a clear and present threat wherever they carry the ball.

And this will be a test of Hornets’ defence that Bobbie Goulding will relish. Last time out, Hornets thwarted and frustrated the Halifax defence for 72 minutes - fatigue-driven lapses in concentration giving the scoreline a decidedly lop-sided look. And the Bobster’s always maintained that having the defence right will provide the platform for the season.

But on attack, he must be itching to get his boots on. There’s no doubt that Hornets seem to be struggling to find cohesion on attack. The approach phases are all fine - sustained drives from the big pack take in the hard yards with ease - but in the last 20 metres, Hornets seem unable to ignite the killer pass that will split defences at the moment.

I’m sure that if we’re patient and move the ball around, chances will come.

It’s hoped that Hornets will welcome back Gareth Price on Sunday. Pricey played a major role last season, playing in 32 games. His experience and no-nonsense style will add much needed punch to the Hornets attack - and he’ll be keen to get some game-time under his belt before the serious business starts on April 12th.

What Sunday does provide is a barometer for our progress thus far. Going to Hunslet last month on the back of a miraculous performance in the Law Cup, the expectation was huge. So much so that the realisation of the scale of Bobbie’s task brought us all down with a thump.

So, let’s see how the plan is coming together and make some more progress. Every game at the moment feels like an experiment, but as the team plays together, it’ll gel and gain momentum.

And as the Hornets fans have become used to the shape and style of ‘New Hornets’, it has showed an unshakeable optimism and level of support. So - are we up for revenge over Hunslet? You betcha - see you there.