Feeley drawn back by Wharfedale struggles
JON FEELEY admits the emotional pull of Wharfedale was too hard to resist as he gets stuck into his third spell as head coach of the Yorkshire Dales outfit.
Wharfedale suffered two poor seasons under his predecessor James Doherty, almost culminating in the club dropping out of the National Leagues, and Feeley decided to return to the club closest to his heart in a bid to try to address the situation.
“Last year’s result was disappointing in terms of league position (13th in Two North) and that is the first point that we want to arrest. We are very confident we can do that with the coaching group and players we have on board,” Feeley told The Rugby
Paper, three weeks into pre-season training.
Former Greens winger Feeley is back at Threshfield after three seasons in charge of the Yorkshire County team. He originally moved to Wharfedale when he was 35, being appointed backs coach at the end of the 2011-12 season before twice taking over from Tommy McGee as the main man.
“Working in the Yorkshire job suited me but after speaking to director of rugby Rob Baldwin and seeing the club that I love being in the position it was, I wanted to do something about it. So it was a leap back into the role based on emotion,” Feeley said.
“I feel responsible for a lot of these players because I brought a lot of them through when I was there before, and I have a great deal of trust in them and I want to see them achieve.”
After taking on the job at Threshfield, Feeley was straight on the phone to his good friend, Stuart Lancaster, who recently lifted the Champions Cup with Leinster.
“He was one of the first people I was in touch with. Stuart,
right, is a very successful guy and I couldn’t be happier with the way things have gone for him in the last year because his treatment prior to that in the RFU was poor, and we all knew him to be a far better coach than he was being portrayed. “When you are going back into a position it is great to bounce ideas off people and he is someone I know that is always at the end of the phone or email. He has a brilliant rugby mind and is very straight talking but very thoughtful. “When Stuart first took over the England job, the culture of the team wasn’t right, and he knew he had to re-establish a different way of thinking. That’s very much along the same lines as I think and was one the first areas I spoke to him about.” Feeley and newlyappointed DoR Rob Baldwin have recruited well with former England U20 captain Chris Walker and ex-Newcastle hooker Ben Sowrey among an array of signings.
“Wharfedale’s philosophy as a club has always been to provide the best possible surroundings to attract players rather than trying to compete on monetary terms and Rob has taken that on, and that is reflected in what he’s done with Chris and Ben’s signing,” Feeley pointed out.
“Those two names jump out because they have the pedigree of playing at a very high level, and you can see in training that they are very good players. Chris’ ability to read the game is excellent and I think he will be a great addition for us.”
Sowrey will also bolster the coaching team.
“Ben is recovering from a knee operation and we’re looking at a Christmas return. But he’s taking on a coaching role as well – as understudy to Jon Skurr, helping with the front three and the hookers.”