‘ Ourtargetistogetupto2Ain thenextfewyears, weknow wecan’, insistscoachMannion
CONSIDERING Sligo RFC just managed to avoid relegation last season, few would have expected them to be battling it out for top spot in the AIL Division 2C with two games to go. But head coach Ross Mannion had higher expectations than most.
Sligo are currently in second place, three points behind Navan who occupy top spot. This weekend, they host Tullamore in their final home game of the season. A win in that game would put Mannion’s men in a nice position ahead of their final game of the season – a trip to Navan.
The fact that winning the league is a real possibility says a lot about how far Sligo have come this year. Recruitment over the off- season has played a huge part.
“We’re delighted with how it’s gone. We’re disappointed with the four losses but then you look at last year. Last year was out worst season ever in the AIL. We had some key positions filled over the summer so I’m delighted with how it’s gone this year,” Mannion told The Sligo Champion.
“It’s exactly where we want to be, battling for top spot. Realistically, we wouldn’t have been shouting it at the start of the year but our goal was to win the league. That was our target. We feel we should be up there at the top battling it out. It’s really about getting in the right mindset. We have to change our motivation from always being the underdog to believing that we are good enough to win every game.”
The final home game takes place this Saturday at Hamilton Park, where Sligo host Tullamore. And Mannion is urging people to turn out in their numbers to support them in a vital game.
“For anyone that hasn’t been out to see us play, we play a really good brand of rugby, we have an attacking style, it’s entertaining to watch. Come out and watch us and judge for yourself. We need all the support we can get.” With sec- ond place pretty much guaranteed at this stage, Mannion wants to go one step further – and with the help of numerous permutations they certainly can.
“The winner takes all really. Navan play Bangor this weekend, Bangor haven’t won a game since December but that doesn’t reflect how their games have gone. I don’t know what’s going on there but they could get dragged into second bottom so they will be fighting for something in that game. If Navan slip up then it’s all to play for. It’s in our own hands in a way and it’s out of our hands too. We have to see what Navan do.
“We’re three points behind Navan now and we play them on the last day so it’s a case of winner takes all. We can still come top, there are a few different permutations. If we win and deny Navan a losing bonus point then we win and things like that.”
Whether a league win happens or not, Mannion is ambitious. “Our target is to get up to 2A in the next few years. We know we can.”
Recruitment can be difficult at times for a club like Sligo. Local players can often leave the area for college, while attracting anyone from outside the area can also be tough.
“We’ve had a few players over from New Zealand in the past. And they have been through friends of my own. So this year we had two, one is Callum Goddard, he’s only 18 he’s a winger. And then we had Michael Wells, he played in the ITM team so he had been released and someone rang me to say he was looking at travelling and asked if we would be interested. He has been phenomenal. It is difficult sometimes to recruit players. Because of the season we had last year, we spoke to some players during the summer and they found it hard to believe that we were talking about winning the league this year considering the year we had last year. This year it will be far less difficult to recruit players. They can see now that we are progressing. “Geographically too it can be tough for us. If people coming through want to go to college then you lose them and they can only train on a Friday with us. Retaining a player can be tough,” Mannion added.
SligovTullamore, Saturday, 2.30pm.