Old guard set to help Wright's Hawks soar

Published Date: 19 August 2009
By DAVID FERGUSON
IF PETER Wright began his latest spell in charge at Glasgow Hawks playing something of the nursery teacher to the plethora of schoolboys he unleashed on Division One, the former grizzled Scotland prop has worked hard over the summer to bring in some more aged assistants, relatively speaking.
The return of George Oommen, Rory McKay and Eric Milligan has not only given Wright some much-desired on-field leadership, albeit largely on the training pitches so far, but also brought a new sense of maturity to their somewhat younger peers.

The coach was pleased with how his side progressed through last season to prove a match for most teams in the second half, and is confident that youngsters such as Craig Gossman, Jono Wright, Grant Strang and Graham Harkness will be ever more dangerous to opponents after a year getting to grips with Division 1. But the new spine to the pack provided by the returning trio is crucial.

He said: "It always takes time for new players to settle, but this season many of the new guys who will play in the opening game against Melrose will be experienced guys, and that makes a big difference.

"A lot of guys here had never played Premier One or even senior rugby with some before last season, so they were inexperienced in life as well as rugby. We've lost some good players with Alan Kelly, our big second row and player of the season, taking a year out, and Stevie Gordon doing the same, to travel the world. So that was another reason for targeting experience this year and I'm really pleased we've been able to get George, Rory and Eric back. They are all influential players in the game, with the way they carry ball and defend, and that's what every team needs."

Wright has tried for and missed out on opportunities to coach with the pro teams, most recently at Edinburgh, but he retains a passion for improving Scottish players, and his enthusiasm for developing young talent will again be to the fore at Anniesland with another host of youngsters arriving this summer from far and wide. He is particularly excited about a trio of youngsters returning from serious injuries – Joe Stafford, a 19-stone prop, stand-off Andy White and Duncan Weir, an 18-year-old stand-off from Cambuslang who suffered a cruciate knee injury.

Hawks are not famed for the best youth nursery in the Scottish game, yet still Wright believes proven youth development should be a prerequisite for all Division One clubs.

"People will accuse us of 'stealing' young guys, or 'poaching' them, but everyone attracts players. When I was a development officer in Glasgow ten years ago we had 30 under-18 clubs; this season I think we have seven in the under-18 league. The SRU tell us the numbers are rising, but are they?

"We will be running an under-16 team for the first time this season not to compete with the schools around us but to pick up boys not getting games, and I'd like to see it made a condition of all Division One clubs. We'd like to see the league cut to eight teams, to be honest, with more criteria, as a way of improving the quality, but right now I think it's important that clubs do work harder to bring their own players through."

Returning to the more immediate task of helping Hawks back up the table, Wright added: "It's only pre-season, but looking at the sessions so far the quality and difference from this time last year to now is significant. We have a fitness coach in Derek Spiers who works with the players on Mondays and Wednesdays, we have more group and unit work that goes on before training starts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is very much player-led, and the confidence seems to be higher this year across the board.

"But it's always more difficult in a second year, because everyone knows more about you, expectations are greater inside the club and out, and we set pretty high standards towards the end of the season, which we now have to look to repeat and improve on.

"So there is a bit of pressure, but that's good. We are ambitious and want to bring success back to Hawks, and that means winning leagues and cups. That's the mindset we're working on – let's go out and win every game. Easy eh?"

GLASGOW HAWKS

Formed: 1997

Ground: Old Anniesland

Colours: Red, black, white and green jersey

Coaches: Peter Wright, Jamie Dempsey, Chris Reid, Mike Blackie and Cammy Little.

Captain: To be confirmed

Players in: Rory McKay (Bedford), Eric Milligan (Glasgow), George Oommen (Dundee HSFP), Cammy Kerr and Michael Martin (both Hillhead/Jordanhill), Ian Bowyer (year out), Duncan Weir (Cambuslang), Jonathon Potter (Newcastle academy), Joe Macari (Arabian Gulf), Calum Taylor (Boroughmuir).

Players out: Alan Kelly, Stevie Gordon (both year out travelling).

2008-9 finish: 10th

Prediction: 4th

This article was posted on 19-Aug-2009, 12:06 by Hugh Barrow.