WE had a massive wake up call at Otley.

If players thought they were on top of the world after beating Wasps, they came down to earth with a bump.

Complacency is a hated word within sport because it can be so destructive - as we all saw at Cross Green. I think everyone has to put their hands up and say we went there expecting to win and take home the bonus point. It is the worst thing you can do in any competitive environment because you are always likely to be found out.

We certainly were in the first half and conceding a try after just 23 seconds really set the tone for us. After that, the game deteriorated into a niggly affair with a lot going on. It was only a matter of time before the red and yellow cards began to flow and unfortunately we'd lost Craig Gillies and Chris Hall by half time.

If there was something to take out the game, however, I thought we did OK in the second half. Considering we conceded early on with 13 men, we did well to battle our way back into the match and then eventually go on and win it. That was one positive, but there were far too many negatives to hide behind that. We pride ourselves on our honesty at Worcester and if something hasn't gone our way or we've played poorly then we will admit it.

It's OK being honest but quite another doing something about it. We have had a hard time in training this week because we know that against Orrell on Saturday, things will be a lot tougher. We have to view it as a good opportunity, though, to bounce back and show our quality.

I think we were all impressed with Tommy Hayes at Cross Green. He really got us out of jail with his kicking and we were indebted to him for that because he is certainly a cool customer and one who doesn't appear to struggle with his confidence!

We all went into the Otley game high on confidence. However, after that one we've had a dose of reality and it really has given the boys the jolt they needed. What I'm pleased about is the way they've reacted. It shows just how the players want to improve because they've worked exceptionally hard this week.

A lot of people will look at this game as an important one in the context of the season. Many have ourselves and Orrell as the two top teams in the division. It's very early, however, to be talking about a two-horse race and, after looking at the results at the weekend, Bristol and Birmingham & Solihull are going to have some say in things.

Bristol will be a force to be reckoned with especially at home. I looked at their crowd on Sunday and it was more than 4,000! That is great for the division and I'm certainly looking forward to our trip there later on in the year.

This game will be a good indicator of the two team's strengths but that is it at the moment. It is a great one for the supporters though because it gives us a chance to start off our home campaign in the best possible style.

Win against Orrell on Saturday and then hopefully we can put the Otley experience well and truly behind us. It's time to start punching our weight but this time without the fists.