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An update from our coach

An update from our coach

Ian Smith18 Feb 2021 - 18:10
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https://www.hartlepoolroversfc

Steve Smith's message

I can honestly say over the past 12 months my feelings towards rugby can be matched with that of riding a roller coaster. The short end to the 19/20 season brought disappointment but provided time to plan for the next steps for progression. Spirits were extremely high with 39 players participating in my weekly challenges set through lockdown which enabled players to develop their fitness levels and even try their hand at a bit of home baking. Special mentions to Ian ‘Skinny’ Pinchen who has lost that much weight he now believes he is a winger and Aaron ‘Triathlete’ Kemp who keeps telling us how well he is doing but is still shaped like a prop. Pre season was going great until Boris put an abrupt end to our progress again. But we are now on the final climb to reach our target of playing competitive rugby and sharing a much needed pint with our members.

As we are hopefully coming to the end lockdown 3.0 we have developed a clear plan to move forward with rugby . Mark Power is now firmly involved with all aspects of rugby and is doing a sterling job of generating new ideas for both on and off field activities. I would also like to thank Tony Church for his hard work over the past 2 seasons. I am currently exploring possibilities of entering a team from Hartlepool Rovers into the North East summer Rugby League tournament. I believe this will again lift spirits for players, aid with recruitment and also bring the supporters to the bar. Our weekly challenges have restarted and its proving a great success with 21 lads becoming active and relishing the much needed competition. Tonight (Thursday 18 Feb) I will be hosting the first online live challenge where players will get their chance to show their true fitness levels and also have some time to catch up with team mates.

I still firmly believe that a club priority is to develop the talent of our younger players. Darren Smith has done an exceptional job over years in creating a team of dedicated coaches who provides excellent sessions each Sunday morning. I would like to give a personal thank you to Jamie Turner, Kev Lawson, Dianna Beddows and Tyler Dean who have assisted me with running the U6/7/8’s this season. My aim is to bridge the gap between the junior and senior section. We have a group of very good U16 players who have been invited to first team training in order to understand our patterns of play. I truly believe these lads are the future of the club and I can see some making their senior debuts just past their 17th birthday.

Finally, as mentioned by other members in the past weeks, we sadly lost a gentleman of rugby in Andrew Arnell. I have very fond memories of Andrew which i will treasure , especially from the times at Slingsby. We also must keep in our thoughts any Rover who is ill at this difficult time.

May our spirits remain high

UTR

Steve Smith

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