EAGLES new head coach Gary Wilkinson says he was “blown by the potential” at Don Valley when Mark Aston came offered him the job. In his first interview the former Hull KR boss says the pair are working to a plan that should give the Eagles a strong promotion challenging side for next season.
He’s confident that by the time to battle for league points starts in the spring the shape of the new team will be clear. Recruitment is going well and they are on target to get a strong 25-player squad by the start of pre-season training.
In a month in the job Wilkinson has helped chief executive Aston bring in ten new players – many with links to his old club. Wilkinson says that’s no accident but a deliberate policy of signing players who have proved themselves at a higher level.
He said: “It’s people who you are comfortable with, in that you know what they can do for you. You are better off with knowing the people you sign as well as what you observe when you are coaching against a team and a player catches your eye. We have been very selective in what we are doing and this has been part and parcel of being here.”
Wilkinson, 46, after a career in amateur league in Hull before moving into coaching where he proved he could develop young players and produce winning teams. After a successful spell as Hull KR’s Academy boss he took over the first team in 2002 winning the Northern Rail Cup and reaching the quarter finals of the promotion play-offs. He fell victim to changing fortunes in the Robins’ boardroom and moved on to Hull FC as under-21s coach and had a brief spell on the backroom staff at Doncaster Dragons. Recently he’s been the coach of the successful GB Students’ squad. When the Eagles offer came up he was happy to link up with Aston – in spite of a 140-mile commute from his Hull-based pest control business.
He said: “I played local amateur rugby in Hull and then went into coaching and each time I’ve taken a job I’ve been fortunate to make progress and sort of found coaching a bit of a forte. Tubbs asked me to come across from Hull and I was blown away by the professionalism of the club and the facilities at Don Valley and the plans in place. I think there’s a big future here. He sold me the club very well - that we were able to do things and hopefully win titles. I think Mark had identified what was needed. It was important to attract the right players to the club, which is what we are doing.”
Wilkinson believes fans will be impressed by the quality of the signings – including former Hull KR forward trio Paul Fletcher, Paul Pickering and Andy Smith, Martin Ostler from Doncaster and Aussie playmaker Brendon Lindsay.
“What we are looking for is signing a squad of about 25 players and moulding them into a useful side in which every one brings something to the table. But we have to take one step at a time – the main thing is to improve on last year and once we achieve that we can keep building and the results will come. We should have a strong pack with lots of go forward. We are looking for three-quarters and I’m sure well get them in the next couple of weeks.”
Experience at a higher level has been the priority after a season which saw the Eagles struggle with a squad that was hit by retirements and the loss of key players.
Wilkinson adds: “Paul Fletcher is such a big impact player I’d be pretty surprised if he didn’t build a real goods relationship with the fans – he’s just that kind of a player. But there are others as well, Paul Pickering from Hull KR and Martin Ostler from Doncaster. They will al bring a degree of experience which the side lacked last year. There will be games when we will bring in a player to do a certain job for that game but that’s really normal coaching. It’s not going to happen overnight – but come the important part of the season (after the rail cup) I’d like to think that we know our starting line up and what we can look forward to.”
Wilkinson takes over as head coach from Howard Cartwright who retired after more than 20 years linked to the Eagles. He says he’s found it easy working with Aston and the rest of the coaching team. “It should be basically be similar to the way Howard and Mark worked. Our attitude is that you can’t have enough people as coaches - so we will work hand in hand. Mark and I have known each other for quite and we get on well.”
And coaching rugby league players has never been a problem. Wilkinson added: “ I own a small pest control company, which comes in handy when you’re coach rugby players!”
