The Herald reports

Club scene: Hawks will battle for promotion by promoting from within instead of importing
Published on 10 April 2012

Neil Drysdale

As the dust settles on an engrossing RBS Premiership season, three distinct trends emerged.

One was the improvement of Dundee HSFP and the potent displays, especially in the first half of the campaign, from Gala, who offered a serious challenge to Melrose.

The second was the manner in which the country's central-belt city clubs were left trailing by the likes of Dundee and Aberdeen Grammar, Ayr and Stirling County, possibly reflecting the fact that the SRU's two professional sides are increasingly reliant on clubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh to bring through their next batch of young talent.

Third, there was the relegation of Glasgow Hawks for the first time in their history and the question of how the Anniesland organisation will deal with life outwith the top tier. The initial impressions are that they will handle the situation just fine.

They have responded to the departure of long-time coach Peter Wright by appointing his deputy, Jamie Dempsey, to oversee the renaissance, and they have a raft of other experienced figures, such as Mike Blackie and Cammy Little, prepared to beaver away with the second XV.

As far as clinging on to their best performers – in a squad abrim with precocious potential – their new chairman, Alasdair Graham, told Herald Sport: "Assurances have been received from the bulk of the players that they will remain with the club [for the new season in the second tier]."

Even when one examines the work being carried out at the grass roots by Hawks officials, who have long been spreading the oval-ball gospel, there is ample evidence that the future offers reasons to be cheerful, not fearful.

"We have an exceptionally strong junior section, with more than 120 players at four age-group levels between 13 and 16, and next season we are planning to run an under-18 team, coached by John Couper," added Graham, one of life's redoubtable characters, who will never be found wanting for initiative or innovation.

"In the main, the players for this side will be attending schools in the state sector. We are also committed to running a community programme, which brings rugby to 15 primary and three secondary schools in the west end of Glasgow." In short, at every level, their endeavour is intensifying.

At their peak, Hawks possessed a clutch of international-class performers and were a match for the likes of Toulouse, whom they defeated in a friendly in the late 1990s. In these days, men such as Glenn Metcalfe, Derek Stark, Chris Simmers and Tommy Hayes used to electrify audiences with their mesmerising skills, but Graham is not so naive as to imagine that the club will not face a thorny assignment in escaping from a division which is packed with dangerous rivals in the mould of Hawick, Watsonians, Selkirk, Jed-Forest and Stewart's-Melville FP.

Equally, he realises there is no value in Hawks meekly succumbing to their fate and stagnating on the basis that the grass-roots circuit is no longer the force it was a couple of decades ago.

"It will take a great effort from players and supporters alike to ensure that the club returns to the glory years when they won three successive league titles and appeared in five Scottish Cup finals," said Graham, whose players will be involved at Saturday's Melrose Sevens. "Ultimately, though, Hawks will be the stronger for this and more prepared to return to the top without trying to buy their way out of trouble by importing players. Youngsters coming to us will be given every chance to succeed without having to worry about who might come in from overseas to take their place."

The message could hardly be clearer. Hawks have stumbled into a spot of bother, but are happy to roll with the punches and stand or fall by their own labours. One wouldn't wager against Dempsey's personnel generating positive headlines in the future.

This article was originally posted on 10-Apr-2012, 05:28 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 10-Apr-2012, 06:45.