Post by Jamie Crawford on Sept 28, 2016 8:38:10 GMT
Four games into the season and we’re sitting in fourth place. London Irish and Carnegie are first and second respectively and they are the only teams to have not lost (or drawn) a game yet. The Cornish Pirates are third, two points above the Knights courtesy of their draw against Ealing Trailfinders in London. We want to go one better than the Pirates plus do better than last year’s 17-17 draw and beat the ninth-placed Trailfinders on their ‘plastic pitch’.
Tom McLaughlin is Ealing Trailfinders' new head of strength and conditioning and as such the man responsible for ensuring the players are great shape for the Greene King IPA Championship this season. Thus we can expect better strength/fitness and for them to play for the full 80 minutes. This appointment may have been made after the Trailfinders had a season in the Championship and realised the increased levels of fitness required.
After losing heavily to Carnegie in the first game of the season, Trailfinders drew 31-31 with the Pirates, beat Jersey Reds 20-15 and lost 32-12 to London Irish. Curiously this puts Irish’s winning margin at 20 over the Trailfinders, we were only one better at 19-0. Both games were at Irish’s Madejski Stadium, so no home advantage for either team.
Adam Preocanin won the Ealing Trailfinders Players’ Player of the Year Award following the 45-12 victory over Rotherham Titans last season.
The second row received the award from club captain Danny Kenny after a season in which he scored four tries in 20 Greene King IPA Championship appearances.
The 28-year-old marked the occasion by scoring in the match to help Ben Ward’s side close out the season in winning style.
“It is great to receive this recognition from my peers, ” Preocanin said. “There were some good performers throughout the season and I imagine that it would have been a close run vote."
“I wouldn’t have been able to win the award without the help of my teammates and I must thank them and all the coaching staff.”
Rhys Crane (wing) and Luke Daniels (full back) shared the Coaches’ Player of the Year and received their award from forwards’ coach Kieran Power, who was leaving the club after 12 years-service as both player and coach. (Trailfinders website)
Ex-Doncaster Mini-Juniors and Knight Lewis Thiede now plies his trade for the Trailfinders
Ealing have won one, drawn one and lost two of their games played to put them ninth in the Championship. The Knights have won three and lost one of theirs to leave us fourth.
Bedford Blues and Richmond have yet to record a win but the Blues have scored three bonus points.
Elsewhere in this green and pleasant land:
We can’t overtake the Irish in one game but second-placed Carnegie are three points above, with third-placed Pirates just two points above us. Simples - we beat Ealing, the Scottish exiles beat the Pirates and our neighbours beat Carnegie for us to sit pretty in second place.
Jersey Reds sit three league points below the Knights and both Rotherham Titans and Nottingham are four points below.
On Friday 30th September:
Nottingham (7) host London Irish (1)
Are the exiles more vulnerable away from their Madejski Stadium? Three out of the four first league games have been home games for the Irish; their away game was against Bedford Blues when Bedford scored a losing bonus point. The only league point that the Irish have conceded was away from home.
On Saturday 1st October:
Cornish Pirates (3) go to the Capital to play London Scottish (10) at Richmond FC’s ground
Jersey Reds (5) travel to Old Deer Park to play London Welsh (8)
Rotherham Titans (6) welcome Carnegie (2) to Clifton Lane
Statbunker still show that six teams have only played three games, so I’ll add some stats once it has been updated. League stats are courtesy of the RFU, who is up-to-date.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
Tom McLaughlin is Ealing Trailfinders' new head of strength and conditioning and as such the man responsible for ensuring the players are great shape for the Greene King IPA Championship this season. Thus we can expect better strength/fitness and for them to play for the full 80 minutes. This appointment may have been made after the Trailfinders had a season in the Championship and realised the increased levels of fitness required.
After losing heavily to Carnegie in the first game of the season, Trailfinders drew 31-31 with the Pirates, beat Jersey Reds 20-15 and lost 32-12 to London Irish. Curiously this puts Irish’s winning margin at 20 over the Trailfinders, we were only one better at 19-0. Both games were at Irish’s Madejski Stadium, so no home advantage for either team.
Adam Preocanin won the Ealing Trailfinders Players’ Player of the Year Award following the 45-12 victory over Rotherham Titans last season.
The second row received the award from club captain Danny Kenny after a season in which he scored four tries in 20 Greene King IPA Championship appearances.
The 28-year-old marked the occasion by scoring in the match to help Ben Ward’s side close out the season in winning style.
“It is great to receive this recognition from my peers, ” Preocanin said. “There were some good performers throughout the season and I imagine that it would have been a close run vote."
“I wouldn’t have been able to win the award without the help of my teammates and I must thank them and all the coaching staff.”
Rhys Crane (wing) and Luke Daniels (full back) shared the Coaches’ Player of the Year and received their award from forwards’ coach Kieran Power, who was leaving the club after 12 years-service as both player and coach. (Trailfinders website)
Ex-Doncaster Mini-Juniors and Knight Lewis Thiede now plies his trade for the Trailfinders
Ealing have won one, drawn one and lost two of their games played to put them ninth in the Championship. The Knights have won three and lost one of theirs to leave us fourth.
Bedford Blues and Richmond have yet to record a win but the Blues have scored three bonus points.
Elsewhere in this green and pleasant land:
We can’t overtake the Irish in one game but second-placed Carnegie are three points above, with third-placed Pirates just two points above us. Simples - we beat Ealing, the Scottish exiles beat the Pirates and our neighbours beat Carnegie for us to sit pretty in second place.
Jersey Reds sit three league points below the Knights and both Rotherham Titans and Nottingham are four points below.
On Friday 30th September:
Nottingham (7) host London Irish (1)
Are the exiles more vulnerable away from their Madejski Stadium? Three out of the four first league games have been home games for the Irish; their away game was against Bedford Blues when Bedford scored a losing bonus point. The only league point that the Irish have conceded was away from home.
On Saturday 1st October:
Cornish Pirates (3) go to the Capital to play London Scottish (10) at Richmond FC’s ground
Jersey Reds (5) travel to Old Deer Park to play London Welsh (8)
Rotherham Titans (6) welcome Carnegie (2) to Clifton Lane
Statbunker still show that six teams have only played three games, so I’ll add some stats once it has been updated. League stats are courtesy of the RFU, who is up-to-date.
COYK
DONNY, DONNY, DONNY…
