No excuses from Langley as coaching staff take positives from lay off

Broncos News · January 15, 2021

Assistant coach Jamie Langley has told londonbroncosrl.com that there will be only positives taken from the last 10 months of disruption as he and Head Coach Danny Ward finally get their chance to coach the players again at Rosslyn Park from Monday.

Langley, a keen student of self-development, was pleased with the way the players have managed themselves since the 2020 season cancellation and praised the squads leadership group in particular. He said “It’s been a valuable experience for all of us and one of our philosophies at the club is to ‘control the controllable’ and the players have put that to the test, utilising the time wisely, to grow as individuals.”

“The players’ leadership group has taken responsibility for ensuring high standards were maintained during the period away from the club and we are particularly proud of that.”

And whilst the coaching staff are content with how things have gone during the pandemic ‘Langers’ was quick to point out the benefits of getting the players back in next week and kick start their plans for 2021.

He added “Building relationships and cohesion within the group is very important to us and there is only so much we can achieve via zoom calls, so getting back together, even from a 2m distance, is very important.”

“As staff, we are excited to get back to coaching and doing what we love. We have had plans A, B, C and perhaps D put aside, and several false starts but c’est la vie, it challenges you to exhibit flexibility.”

With the RFL giving a potential start date of Mid-March Jamie knows that this will be a restricted pre-season compared to previous years but there were no excuses from the former Bradford, Hull KR and Sheffield player.

Langley said “We have had less time to make ready than normal, however every other team is in the same predicament and we feel we have the ability to put together as good a programme as anyone. We have no doubt we’ll be very well prepared.”

“We need to familiarise ourselves with the ball now and begin work on some fundamental skill. We won’t be the finished article when we get to round 1 and that’s great, as it leaves plenty of room to grow throughout the season.”

The popular coach was also quick to praise the club’s fans for their patience, adding “As coaching staff we all fully appreciate how difficult it has been for everyone, and we want the fans to know we are looking forward to the day when they’re back in the stands cheering the team on. Hopefully this is not too far away and the return to training signals the start of that approaching.”