Author Archives: Paul Clarke

Ealing Trailfinders are pleased to announce that prop forward Nathan Buck has signed with the Club for the 2014-15 season.

The 24-year-old joins from Welsh side Newport Gwent Dragons for whom he played 66 times and at 6’3” and 20stone 13Ibs he will add his considerable size to the options available in the front row.

“Nathan is a massive lad, he is a destructive scrummager and played against us for Cross Keys last season,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said.

“He has already settled in nicely to the squad and will add to the competition in our front row positions.”

Buck hails from Abergavenny and started out with at the famous Welsh front-row breeding ground of Pontypool. From there he moved on to Cross Keys and after a spell playing in Australia at the University of Queensland he returned home and quickly progressed through the various teams to the Dragons first XV.

Former Ealing Trailfinders and Ireland age-grade player Paddy Gill returned to the club over the summer as a new skills coach. Here the scrum-half provides an insight into what he is doing to help ensure the team hit the ground running when the season starts in September.

We are coming to the six-week point of pre-season and the players have been busy developing their individual skills. These skills whether it is passing, kicking or throwing will in turn contribute to the team being able to play the wide expansive game plan Ealing Trailfinders are known for.

As Skills Coach it is my responsibility to identify areas in which each player may need to develop to enhance their performance, and focus specific time on these. The acquisition of these highlighted skills takes time and to get the desired outcome a coach needs to plan effectively and in this case, a six-week plan for the team was put into effect. Working in small groups for the first two weeks allowed time to access each player’s strengths and weaknesses.

This led to larger groups being established where individuals had the chance to train in similar skill level groups, which has be found to help build confidence within players and having signed many new players in the off season, it was vital for players to become accustom to the working ways of others.

The idea of quality players not being able to read their teammates movements may sound exaggerated, but this is the issues that arose. To develop player relationships, we tended to focus on similar drills which allowed players to gain understanding through game specific scenarios, such as overload attack and handling sets.

Once the bonds had been formed we changed focus, using timed handling sets to put the players under physical and mental pressures. This forces player’s to think quickly and perform the skills learnt whilst in a high pressure environment, which research suggests enhances player skill development. High pressure training allows the players to also push each other and strive for better outcomes with every set, and with the club looking for promotion, is exactly the type of animal we are looking for.

Following the six week block, there will be a shift in focus, with shorter training sessions but with levels of intensity lifted with high levels of success expected from not only myself, but the players themselves. This will lead nicely into the pre-season games and concurrently the first league game of the year. Throughout the season there will also be a weekly award to the “Skillman of the week”, which celebrates the best individual piece of brilliance in a training session or game.

This is shown during the Tuesday evening team meal, and the player who is selected, signs a baseball bat and whoever has signed the bat the most by the end of the season gets to keep it. Hopefully it will encourage the players to stretch themselves to find new skills that they can use for the benefit of the team once the season starts.

Ealing Trailfinders’ wing Phil Chesters is providing fans with an exclusive behind the scenes look at the build-up to the coming season; this week the man who ran in 13 tries last season talks paintball, charities and answers your questions.

Things are now getting to the point in preseason where skill levels and the quality of training is paramount. Everyone is settled into the weekly training routine now and we have a no excuse culture, where not only are the coaches demanding high levels in training, but we are as well.

As players we know we have to strive for perfection and we are demanding it from one another. Paddy Gill is taking us through lots of handling drills where whatever position you play, you need to be comfortable with the ball in hand. This is going to improve the individual, but also the collective, where we can really show our expansive style of play on match days.

The intensity in training is stepping up now where we are introducing both our attack and defence patterns and calls. One session a week now we ‘go live’ and have full contact, not that I like it and as much as it pains me to say, it is needed. We need to start putting ourselves under pressure in these areas so we are fully prepared when it comes to the matches.

If you read my last blog you will remember me talking about the much anticipated second social event – paintballing! After training on Saturday we all changed into our fancy dress outfits. Current players dressed up as police or Speedo cops and the new players this season as schoolgirls. Yes you heard correctly, schoolgirls. I particularly enjoyed shopping with my housemate Alex Penny because he was a little upset that none of the shops had his size in the women’s section!

It was a great day out and all the boys seemed to enjoy themselves as the picture clearly shows. This may have been helped by the fact that we have two players who are getting married in the next few weeks (Wardy and Papey – Ben Ward and Steve Pape) and somehow we persuaded them to run the gauntlet… this pretty much meant they had to run about 30 metres unarmed with 28 boys firing as many paintballs at them as possible!

Wardy has been hard at work behind the scenes and one of his best ‘business deals’ so far has to be the players discount at Nando’s. All of a sudden numbers have rocketed and we are regularly getting over 20 boys down on Thursday nights post-training for lots of chicken!

At this juncture I would like to wish forwards coach Kieran Powers who turned 36 just over a week ago a belated Happy Birthday. Keep on trucking big guy.

Third and finally for those of you who haven’t seen the piece on the website, the club will be hosting a pre-match lunch before the match at home to Cinderford on 4 October for the chosen charity for the season – The Jack Fishwick Discretionary Trust Fund. More details will be released in the coming weeks but if any of you have any contacts or would like to donate any prizes to the auction they would be greatly received. Please email sue.chandler@etprm.com if you can donate anything!

Now for a couple of questions that were sent in last week.

What is your most memorable game for Ealing Trailfinders?
Being involved in two promotions over the years obviously there have been some great memories, and some fantastic games to be a part of along the way, for example winning at Blackheath away (41-42) and Esher away (33-36) with the final plays of the game.
However I think playing at Allianz Park versus London Scottish has to be up there. It was a big part of the clubs history being our first match at Championship level and I managed to score the team’s first try of the campaign which was pretty special.

What ground are you most looking forward to visiting next season?
There are lots of grounds that I will be looking forward to returning to this season and lots of players that it will be good to catch up with having been out of the league for a season. I enjoy all of the London derbies not only because of the rivalries, but because we get an extra hour or two in bed. Playing at home every week on our new artificial surface I doubt will ever get old.
I think Darlington Mowden Park is one that I’m looking forward to a lot, not only because it is a ground I have never visited before, but because of its sheer size it should be an interesting day out for everyone involved.

Thanks
Phil

Ealing Trailfinders are saying a reluctant farewell and would like to wish Andrew Henderson good luck ahead of his move to take up a work opportunity in Hong Kong.

‘Hendo’ enjoyed a stellar year in the Greene King IPA Championship in 2013-14 during which time he established himself as first-choice fullback, scored 10 tries and won players’, coaches’ and supporters’ player of the years awards.

“I want to start by saying how sorry I am that I will not be a part of the boys success this season. My time at Ealing Trailfinders has been the most enjoyable in my career to date and that is mainly down to the players and fans alike,” he said.

“It is a special, special place where all are so close knit. I think this is personified by how many old boys come back to watch and have a beer with the current squad. I would like to thank Ben especially, not only for bringing me to the club, but helping me develop my game. The squad he has assembled for the coming season has so much fire power that as a fan I would expect great things.

“The decision I have made is without doubt the hardest one in my life and again this is because of how attached I’ve become to the club, but the opportunity that I’ve undertaken is one with great potential and with me not getting any younger it is time to put my career first. I hope you all can understand why I have made decision, but depending on how things develop I would love to put the green and white back on again one day.

“Finally I want to thank Mike, Fiona, Dick and the Green Army who have been great since I joined and been to the other ends of the earth and back to support the boys. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you all.”

Henderson timed his arrival at Ealing Trailfinders to perfection, arriving at Vallis Way in 2012 and he quickly established himself in the team that won promotion from National 1.

In the Club’s debut season in the Championship, Henderson’s versatility meant he featured in the majority of the matches; first as wing, then in the centre and finally at fullback where his sureness under the high ball and swiftness of foot allowed him to develop as a counter-attacking threat.

Prior to his arrival in W13 the Salisbury-born Henderson featured for Jersey and Barking and won England honours for the Students and Counties sides.

“I would like to thank Hendo for his time at Ealing Trailfinders. He has been offered a fantastic opportunity which was too good to turn down and I wish him well for his time in Hong Kong,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said.

“He has been part of some great memories in an Ealing Trailfinders shirt on and off the field and will be missed during this coming season. I will be looking to bring in a replacement shortly to join our back line and thrive with our expansive style of play.”

Ealing Trailfinders, their players, staff and supporters will be able raise money to help a Club stalwart when Cinderford visit Vallis Way on 4 October.

Jack Fishwick played for Ealing Trailfinders from 2010 until 2013 and during that time he featured 28 times for the first XV and was also captain of the second XV, but in March the second row suffered a life changing rugby injury which has left him quadriplegic.

As such the club will dedicate the home match against Cinderford to raising money for his fund – the Jack Fishwick discretionary fund. Tickets will be sold for a three-course meal, there will be a raffle and a wide variety of rugby memorabilia will be put up for auction.

Jack was a popular figure among the players, coaches and supporters, who will recall his time at the club fondly, so we call on them all to show their support for Jack when the team takes on Cinderford.

The match will be the first of a number of events that will be run over the coming season to raise money for the Jack Fishwick Discretionary Fund.

Ticket news for the event will be announced shortly. For further information or to donate prizes for the auction and raffle, please contact the Club’s sponsorship and hospitality manager Sue Chandler on sue.chandler@etprm.com.

Ealing Trailfinders are delighted to announce that they have added to their back-row options by bringing Danny Kenny into the first XV squad.

The 25-year-old Dublin-born Kenny joins from Doncaster Knights and can play across all three back-row positions.

Prior to his time with Doncaster he played for London Irish where he featured in the first XV in the LV=Cup and also the A league side. He also played for Munster Academy and Leinster A.

“Danny is a fantastic athlete and a tough character,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “He is a specialist at the restart area and brings an “X factor” with his pace around the park.

“He will compliment what we already have in the back row and will provide more competition for a hugely competitive area.”

Ealing Trailfinders were saddened to hear the news about former player Jack Fishwick who suffered a rugby-related injury in March that has currently left him quadriplegic.

Jack Fishwick played for Ealing Trailfinders from 2010 until 2013 and during that time he featured 28 times for the first XV and was also captain of the 2nd XV.

The second row was a popular figure among the players, coaches and supporters, who will recall his time at the club fondly.

While it is devastating news for Jack and his family, Jack is fighting hard and tackling the challenges with heart and optimism.

Nonetheless the road ahead is long and by no means simple for him and his family, but a trust fund has been set up to help with the costs of his treatment and on-going care.

As such The Jack Fishwick Discretionary Trust Fund will be Ealing Trailfinders’ first team squad chosen charity for the 2014-15 season with a number of events set to take place to raise money for the fund.

Notice of the events and when and where they are taking place will be announced in due course and the Club hope that everyone can help this club stalwart at a difficult time in his life.

The new players have arrived and pre-season is cranking up, so Phil Chesters provides a further glimpse into life in the Ealing Trailfinders’ camp ahead of the new season.

We are midway through our fourth week of pre-season and the boys are in full swing. Training has been progressing well and everyone is buying into the style of rugby we are hoping to play, learning the team-play patterns and going through plenty of individual unit and set piece work.

One thing that hasn’t changed though is having a very stiff and sore body for seven days a week. Conditioning coach Nick Rees assures me that I need to ‘trust the struggle’ and things will get better – as of yet I’m not convinced.

One day that did put a smile on my face, and I’m sure every other player at the club, was stash day. For one day a group of grown men return to three year olds at Christmas as we get kitted out for the coming season.

Under Armour is our kit supplier again this season and we’ve already received some fantastic new gear for training and leisure wear. Here are a couple of pictures for you just to give you a glimpse of what awaited us.

New for this year is the Tuesday evening meal put on for the whole squad. Not only does this refuel us, it gives us a great opportunity to get to know more about the new members of the squad… most importantly though it means we don’t have to worry about doing the cooking.

During the meal our skills coach Paddy ‘Gill’s Skills’ Gill presents the ‘skill of the week’. This is given to an individual piece of skill that occurs during training to one of the boys, something that has been brought in to see what everyone has up their sleeves. The weekly winner signs a baseball bat and the player with the most signatures at the end keeps the bat.

Last Saturday after training there was a barbeque for the boys. Again this allows the boys to all sit down and have a chat over some food, but this meal was vitally important in helping to line the stomach in preparation for the much anticipated first social… pub golf.

This took place around the establishments situated down in Ealing town where there was lots of standard golfing etiquette, bunker shots, and water holes.

The boys set off in pairs and made their way through the scorecards; there was a great turn out from the boys, including plenty of the new players and like I have mentioned before this is going to be extremely important over the coming weeks, producing a close knit group as quickly as possible.

The social calendar is packed and the next event comes thick and fast, in two weeks we are heading off for some post training paintballing. I’m sure the age old rivalry of forwards versus backs will be will be at fever pitch, so catch up in the next instalment to see who won the bragging rights.

It has been requested that I add a quick question and answer section and this week I’ve been asked, “Who is your favourite new player?”

It is a pretty tough question to answer and without being biased and going for my old mate Alex Penny, a Salisbury boy and close friend of Hendo and mine… I would have to go for Tom ‘Browner’ Brown, simply for being an outstanding partner over the weekend during pub golf.

If any of you out there have any questions fire them to me on Twitter at @phil_chesters11
Phil

Ealing Trailfinders fans will notice a major difference at the Club’s Vallis Way home next season after the decision to install a 3G synthetic surface on the 1st XV pitch.

The work will begin in mid-June and be ready for the start of the pre-season friendly matches. By installing the pitch the Club will follow in the lead of Saracens and Cardiff Blues, who both play on 3G synthetic pitches in the Aviva Premiership and RaboDirect Pro12.

The 3G pitch will have benefits for both the 1st XV and the wider club as teams will be able to use it all year round without the fear of ruining its condition, as was the case earlier in the year when there were unprecedented levels of rain.

It will also mean that matches will be able to take place in all but the most extreme of weather conditions.

“This is huge news for the club,” Director of Coaching Ben Ward said. “Essentially it means we will have unlimited use of the 1st XV pitch throughout the season. It will also mean the supporters will get to watch fast paced running rugby week in week out with the weather having little impact. Thanks must go to the Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity for making this happen.”

Ealing Trailfinders’ players have already experience of a 3G pitch. They started the 2013-14 season at Saracens Allianz Park in Barnet against London Scottish, with everyone involved enjoying the experience provided.

The initial cost is extremely high, but the Club will save money in the future as it will be far cheaper to maintain than a traditional grass one.