Ollie Barklay - new boy
Glaws competition needs to earn a trophy soon
Ollie Barklay - new boy
By Cherry Picker May 26 2008
The competition for places that was such a prominent feature of Gloucester’s table-topping 2007-08 season is going to be there again when the new campaign starts in September – but this time club and fans alike will be hoping it can end two season of frustration and earn a long-overdue trophy. it's time for the club to turn promise into achievement and to put recent frustration behind it.
Ollie Barklay - new boy
The competition for places that was such a prominent feature of Gloucester’s table-topping 2007-08 season is going to be there again when the new campaign starts in September – but this time club and fans alike will be hoping it can end two season of frustration and earn a long-overdue trophy. it's time for the club to turn promise into achievement and to put recent frustration behind it.
It looks as if the backs should be the side’s strength again in the new campaign, but coach Dean Ryan will hopefully be trying to sign the pack leader many fans believe Glaws need if they are to turn frustration into glory in a year’s time.
Willie Walker’s two-year contract extension and the arrival of Ollie Barklay from Bath will ensure that competition for places and strength in depth in the backs will maintain Gloucester’s ability to score tries.
But the lack of experience and tactical awareness which saw his side lose at home to Leicester in the play-off semi-final must surely be what occupies Ryan’s mind during the next two or three months.
There is experience galore in the pack – there’s experience galore in the players who can’t even get into the team – and that makes the way Glaws fell to the Tigers’ sucker punch just over a week ago all the more annoying for the fans and for Ryan.
What he does about it is, of course, down, to the man himself – that’s what he’s paid to do.
But it would be a shame to allow a pack that boasts a long list of top performers and perhaps the most exciting forward to emerge in Guinness Premiership rugby last season, Akapusi Qera (right) to go to waste again.
Meanwhile, Barklay spoke of his feelings after playing a part in Bath’s European Challenge Cup win over Worcester at Kingsholm.
He told the Citizen: “Today wasn't about rugby for me, it was about leaving a group of people that I love. I'll keep in touch with them for the rest of my life and I'll miss them dearly.
"It still hasn't sunk in. Tomorrow, and later in the week when I realise I won’t be training again with the boys, it will start to register a bit more."
"It's a new challenge ahead of me now. I'll leave with a lot of love and I'll go to a new home with a lot of love as well. It's quite strange to end it on my new home ground, but I'm looking forward to it."
If he plays as well for Glaws as he has for Bath, he’s right about the love – the Kingsholm fans will love him. Picking his centres will be just one of Ryan’s team selection problems next season.
Willie Walker’s two-year contract extension and the arrival of Ollie Barklay from Bath will ensure that competition for places and strength in depth in the backs will maintain Gloucester’s ability to score tries.
But the lack of experience and tactical awareness which saw his side lose at home to Leicester in the play-off semi-final must surely be what occupies Ryan’s mind during the next two or three months.
There is experience galore in the pack – there’s experience galore in the players who can’t even get into the team – and that makes the way Glaws fell to the Tigers’ sucker punch just over a week ago all the more annoying for the fans and for Ryan.
What he does about it is, of course, down, to the man himself – that’s what he’s paid to do.
But it would be a shame to allow a pack that boasts a long list of top performers and perhaps the most exciting forward to emerge in Guinness Premiership rugby last season, Akapusi Qera (right) to go to waste again.Meanwhile, Barklay spoke of his feelings after playing a part in Bath’s European Challenge Cup win over Worcester at Kingsholm.
He told the Citizen: “Today wasn't about rugby for me, it was about leaving a group of people that I love. I'll keep in touch with them for the rest of my life and I'll miss them dearly.
"It still hasn't sunk in. Tomorrow, and later in the week when I realise I won’t be training again with the boys, it will start to register a bit more."
"It's a new challenge ahead of me now. I'll leave with a lot of love and I'll go to a new home with a lot of love as well. It's quite strange to end it on my new home ground, but I'm looking forward to it."
If he plays as well for Glaws as he has for Bath, he’s right about the love – the Kingsholm fans will love him. Picking his centres will be just one of Ryan’s team selection problems next season.
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