South Wales Scorpions coach Dave Clark was disappointed to see his side lose their fifth match in a row on Sunday, going down 12-44 to Oldham Roughyeds.
But the Welshman knows that the Scorpions have had a difficult season and he has already started to plan for 2013 looking for a lot more stability in the team line-ups.
“Sunday was an opportunity to look at our squad,” he said. “We had three under 18s come in late on as we were losing players through the week. My side for this game changed four times. It’s tough times at the moment for the Scorpions and I can see why players and coaching staff are getting frustrated. But at this time, there’s not a lot we can do about it.
“I was proud to say that we had 15 locals out there on Sunday and we’re developing this side for the future. We all have to be patient as a club – supporters, players and staff – and we’re using the last five games to start to develop the side for next year. We’re now starting to bring players through who will be part of the long-term future of the Scorpions. We want to blood them in during this final month, give them a good pre-season and then they’ll improve for next year.”
Clark gave three young stars from the under 18s Academy their debuts on Sunday, with the youngest being Rhys Fitzgerald who turns 17 late next month.
“Rhys has been playing in the under 18s Academy and doing quite well so he deserved his opportunity,” Clark said. “He was originally 18th man but with another player going down, we had no option but to bring him in. We played him in at the back-end of the game and gave him a taste of it and that’s what development is all about. The Academy and Scholarship set-up are bringing through some talented players.
The next big home game for Clark and the Scorpions is the biggest of the season. On Sunday 5th August, the Scorpions host North Wales Crusaders in the Welsh derby, and Clark knows that the form book can be thrown out of the window in such a game.
“With games like this, in front of a much bigger crowd than normal, the players will be lifted,” he said. “But it will be a difficult game. North Wales Crusaders have been recruiting really well from the North-West of England. They won’t have 15 local players in their side. Because of their location, they’ve an opportunity up there to bring in players from other clubs to strengthen their squad.
“But we know where we are in the scheme of things and where we are performance wise. We’ve had some set-backs this season but we have a long term goal here and we want to develop this club for the future. The rest of the season is about morale and the big one-off games and you won’t get a bigger game than the Welsh derby. A lot of pride is at stake.”
Tickets for South Wales Scorpions v North Wales Crusaders are now on sale at a special online price of £10 for adults, £6 for concessions and £2 for children aged 12-16. Entry is free to all aged 11 and under.
They can be bought by going to http://www.scorpionsrl.com/page.php?id=1991 or can also be bought in person at the Neath RFC No 13 club shop in Old Market Street in Neath.
Keep your chins up. RL is an unforgiving game in its nature, and time is needed for the lads to learn and improve.