We’re still a few years behind Exeter says Diamond
SALE Sharks boss Steve Diamond reckons it will be “two to three years” before his side can call themselves equals to Exeter Chiefs.
The Chiefs did a number on Sale in Manchester last month, winning 32-22 despite many people having the home team down as favourites.
And Chiefs went into this weekend knowing they are all but mathematically guaranteed a home semifinal in the play-offs, whereas Sale are still scrapping for a top-four spot.
“Probably two to three years,” was Diamond’s answer when asked how long it would be before the gap was closed.
“Premiership football used to be Chelsea and Man
United always in the top two, then Man City popped in and Man U went down from that top two.
“But Chelsea and Man U were there ten years, Arsenal and United before that. Now Liverpool and Man City seem to be dominating.
“It’s difficult to break in. To do it you’ve got to have your finance right, you’ve got to have your club run right and you’ve got to be spending to the salary cap and have a good academy.
“Where Exeter have an advantage, certainly over us, is that they’ve been in the top two for five-sixseven years. And that experience will count in big games I reckon.”
Diamond’s low-load training regime enables him to get the best out of a 32-man squad high on quality but low on quantity.
“It’s been the case for the last ten years – that the teams that look after the players best in their daily training regimes get the most out of them.
“Having said that, you don’t want to have the fittest squad and finish tenth. They’ve got to want to put their lives on the line at the weekend and I reckon most of ours want to do that for us.”
Diamond revealed that this approach is also paying dividends financially.
“We use a private company, but we self-insure and whatever you’ve spent on surgeries and scans the year before is reflected in your premium. Our premium is a third of some clubs.
“I can’t remember the last injury we got in training – not even pulled hamstrings and groins.”