Bastian: It’s frustrating, but we can make up for lost time
HULL KR head of youth John Bastian is confident the academy will quickly recover from a lost year.
The end of the City of Hull Academy project gave KR the opportunity to develop their own players at Craven Park but the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to their early progress.
The under-18s were only two games into their season when it was suspended and subsequently cancelled.
It is not yet clear when the academy game will start back up as the country battles a second wave of the virus.
However, they have continued to work hard on their individual programmes at home and Bastian believes they will be able to make up for lost time once they are reunited.
“That was probably the most frustrating thing - that we’d started to progress really well as an academy at Hull KR,” Bastian told the Mail.
“We’ve certainly still got the foundations in place. Just not being able to do those little things that can make a big difference over a 12-month period and further enhance the youth development has probably been the most frustrating thing. Furlough has held us back, for sure. But it’s something that we can make up.
“Within six to 12 months when we start to come out the other side of Covid-19, we’ll start to see those progressions that we know are important going forward.
“They are important years.
Young players crave to play and be involved with a training programme.
“The lads have been working hard on their fitness and we keep pushing that. They’ve got lots of time and need to challenge themselves on being as fit as they can be. We can build strength up very quickly over a three-month period and there will be a big difference.
“It’ll come back and they will get those opportunities to train and play again, and hopefully 2021 will be a lot brighter for their development and progress. I’m sure it will be.”
Bastian has spent his time watching more rugby than ever on TV, as well as doing chores around the house and voluntary work.
He tested positive for coronavirus just as the academy staff were preparing to go back at the start of this month but is feeling well after having mild symptoms.
“I don’t think any of us expected it to go on this long,” he said.
“Players, staff, the whole game - I’m sure we all thought there would be crowds back in around October time and everyone would be back training and playing. That’s not been the case.
“The biggest thing for me this year has been that whilst we’re bitterly disappointed and frustrated that we’ve missed out on being involved in rugby and training and playing, we’ve got to accept there’s a bigger picture. The health and safety of not only the country but the world is far bigger than any sport at the moment.”