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It was a really encouraging start to life in Championship One with our close win over Workington Town. We have had a short preparation as a group of players so we knew and still do know the challenge will be difficult on a weekly basis, but it was nice to get off the mark with a win in game one.
The partnership with the Crusaders in terms of player availability probably told in the end with Jordan James, Anthony Blackwood, Ben Flower and Lloyd White all having strong games and an impact on the performance. Steve Parry and Neil Dallimore were very good on debut and showed that there is some real talent here in South Wales.
It was a big learning curve for players such as Baz Phillips, Shaun Owens, Andy Gay and others. Craig Richards also played his first game of Rugby League in almost three years and will be better for the run. Workington showed some real class in coming back from behind and almost pulling the game out in the last 10 minutes and it proved that you cannot go into any game in this competition and switch off for periods of the game without it coming back to hurt you. So it was a good first up effort for us as a squad with no friendlies and limited preparation but we are under no illusions that we still need to be better if we are going to compete on a weekly basis.
Last Sunday we had an opportunity to play South Wales Thunder at Carmarthen Athletic. This game enabled us to play some members of the squad who are new to Rugby league and for them to put their case forward for selection. The scoreline indicated that the game was not of great quality and lacking in physical defence. It was nice to have a hit out against some of the better players from the Conference but as a scoreline of 82-18 represents, we will face much harder and sterner tests in coming weeks.
Harri Greville was outstanding in the middle of the park and at 18 has a good future in the game. Jamie Murphy, Shaun Owens, Andy Gay also impressed at times. I think the biggest thing we got from this game was that our selection of the members of the Scorpions squad was justified. A number of players who trialled were in the opposition and as the scoreline suggests this game was well and truly one sided.
This shows the gap between the Conference and Championship One. This was further supported by the 80-6 result from the Oldham v Blackwood Challenge Cup fixture. I am sure Blackwood tried hard and battled bravely as you would expect of young men from South Wales but the fact of the matter is that the scoreline suggests it was very one-sided and Blackwood were outclassed. This shows the massive challenge we have as a group this season. Taking players from the Conference and turning them into Championship One players will not happen overnight and this will be a long steady process. We will make some big gains this season but there will be many tough days at the office!
This is all part of the education process. We have taken over 20 players who have never played at this level and have introduced them to a very competitive and tough League. It will take time for those players to get used to the speed and physicality at Championship One level but more importantly it will take them time to adjust to the speed of thought and sense of the game. The fringe players from the Crusaders will assist us being competitive but guys like Gil Dudson, Lewis Mills, Lee Williams are still learning themselves at this level and playing against seasoned men on a weekly basis.
This week we face the first of 10 very big challenges away from South Wales. The travel and distance we are from the majority of teams is something that is very much understated at this level.
London Skolars have struggled when games are away from home over the years at this level. We are travelling the day of the game this season and that in itself is a massive test for us all to cope with and learn how to deal with getting off the bus on long journeys and putting in a performance.
For example, we are on the bus at 7am this Sunday morning and four hours later we will be in Doncaster. This is not ideal by any means as far as high performance is concerned but we are doing everything we can at the Scorpions to make sure we are here for the long term and financially it is much better that we do it this way and I am very supportive of every decision in this situation. I want to see the Scorpions around for many years to come.
Ian Gibbons has set out a very professional environment from day one with the Scorpions as far as the Performance side of things are concerned and things like hydration urine tests, appropriate pre match food and specific stops to stretch etc are all factored in to try and some small way to combat travel fatigue.
Another challenge confronting us this season is the amount of access we get to the players assigned to us from the Crusaders. Since we beat Workington the next time I will see any players assigned to us will be at the pre match meal in Doncaster - two weeks after playing for us here in South Wales. Again this not ideal but they are the cards we are dealt when playing away and rather then drag the players down here to travel back up the next day it is more sensible for their preparation to stay up north and train with the Crusaders. It is all about education and learning the process of being a professional player and they are going through that in a fulltime environment and learning heaps in the process.
On home games we will have the Crusaders boys assigned come down the day prior to the game to train and do the pre match preview with the team. I have been in contact with the players by email with regards to the match review and how I thought they performed etc as I think feedback and communication is vital in a situation like we are presented with. The positives far outweigh the negatives in a relationship like this.
Doncaster will be a difficult proposition at their home ground. They have had a tough couple of weeks results wise but you can bet your last penny they will have a tough week in training this week and come out firing at Keepmoat Stadium on Sunday. Any time a team is upset like they were by Siddal last week in the Challenge Cup the coach will look to get some sort of response from his players. I know some of the Doncaster players such as Jamie Bovill, Craig Lawton and Shaun Leaf and these are seasoned professionals who are very competitive individuals and they will be tough to crack this weekend (Siddal by the way are one of the very best amateur teams in England. They could compete on a weekly basis at Championship One level).
We hope to see the supporters bus full this weekend. The generosity from the Directors to put the free bus on should be applauded. That shows how much they care about the supporters and in turn the team. If you have not already done so make sure you book your place on the bus. It would be great to see you all at Keepmoat Stadium. It is a great stadium and it would be nice to see a pocket of Scorpions supporters cheering us on.
Fri July 30, 2010 Bulls Eye: Bradford v Catalans 2010 engage English Super League - Round 24 In this week's Bulls Eye, Acting Bradford Head Coach Lee St Hilaire looks ahead to Sunday's Engage Super League Round 24 game at the Grattan Stadium when the Bulls host the Dragons
LEE St HILAIRE WHAT'S THE MOOD IN THE CAMP LIKE AT THE MO 9:39
Re: Back to the 80's at Leichhardt Oval Will The Radiators or The Choir Boys be the pre match entertainment? Are Spy V Spy still available? Posted by magpiemick at 30-Jul-10 9:34 AM
Re: Ryan Tandy commits to the Bulldogs Ryan was almost best on field in several games this year for Storm, I think you are recalling the bloke pre Storm experience. Posted by Jeff at 29-Jul-10 7:57 PM
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