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Duffy can hold head
high
THE future of Swinton Lions may be
much clearer by the time you read this, with the club expected to make a Friday
announcement on their recent financial difficulties. But whatever lies ahead,
the recent role of coach John Duffy should not go unnoticed.
The
Lions’ issues have now come fully to light, and
basically involve the need to raise £100,000 - half of it by the end of the
month - to get through the season.
According
to Duffy, there have been problems of some sort over the last 18 months, most
of which the club has managed to keep a lid on.
But
during that time the former scrum half kept Swinton in the Championship in 2016
following their promotion the previous year, and as things stand at present
they are on course to repeat that achievement again.
Duffy’s
task may or may not become more difficult before the July 21 signing deadline,
but one thing from the thrilling 33-28 derby loss at Rochdale is clear - his
team remains united and committed under him.
That
is no mean feat when payments have not been being made at times - a quick scan
at social media surrounding the club finds several players posting the problems
they have had.
But
Duffy has managed to somehow keep a steady ship, and his team has continued to
play an attacking style that regularly earns praise from opposition coaches.
The
coach’s role has not gone unnoticed by Lions
director Steve Wild.
“One
thing I would also like to say is how brilliant John Duffy has been throughout
all of this,” Wild told Monday’s League Express.
“He
has been so professional throughout and has managed to keep the players on
board.”
Duffy
himself admitted that it hasn’t been an
easy period.
He
said: “To be fair I don't know how we’ve kept it
together this long.
“It’s
been tough, and at the end of the day people have not been getting their money.
“But
no matter what’s happened and what has been said, the players have always gone
out onto the pitch, and they’ve been playing well too.
“They
certainly haven’t given up and hopefully this can galvanise us.
“This
is the second season I’ve been dealing with this stuff going on and it has been
tough - it’s been tough at home.
“It’s
not just the players but their families that I’ve had to speak to at time.
“We’ve
tried to ensure that things didn’t come out on social media but it all came to
a head last week.”
Sometimes
matters like this can go unnoticed publicly - Duffy has been cracking on for 18
months without any fanfare.
But
while Championship rugby league is a form of weekend entertainment for all of
us, there are livelihoods and family matters at stake for those involved, and
that shouldn’t be underestimated.
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