No Guts, No Glory

Remember when rugby was played in the summer? Wasn't it great? Dry pitches, few beers in the sun, shorts and flip flops. Eeey those were't days.

What a win. We know what John Duffy's team can do in good conditions and as the season goes on I'm sure we'll see more of the sparkling stuff we saw glimpses of against London. This was a victory from a bygone era. The mud even makes the video look like it's shot in black and white.

Last season's trips to Dewsbury saw a couple of poorly disciplined performances in which the Lions were bullied by a bigger pack. Even in  better conditions they couldn't stand up to Dewsbury's power play. The secret to success is learning from failure. Swinton have done that.

In atrocious conditions which frankly do the sport no favours and lend weight to calls to start the season later in the year, Swinton put it all on the line and were richly rewarded. This is what the preseason slog is all about.

With every week that passes I feel the bond between fans and players growing. How can you not fall in love with these lads? They wear the Lion with genuine pride and seek to improve individually and collectively. 

It made me chuckle in the week to see Ben Austin describing himself as a senior player. If any player typifies this team it is Austin. About a third of the way through the 2015 season, LionsTV was at training to record some interviews. At the end of the session as the players were heading home John Duffy called over those who hadn't been regulars in the team to thank them for their commitment and tell them if they kept working hard they'd get a chance. One of those players was Ben Austin. He fought into the team and was integral to the play-off final victory. He's been virtually ever-present since then. When the youngsters from Folly and other local teams come down to games, I hope they will look at his example.

So, pats on the back all round. The culture of improvement and learning on and off the pitch continues and will stand us in good stead for the season. Now let's pack out Heywood Road and make some noise for the Bradford game. Despite two defeats they'll bring a noisy following with them as they look to get off the mark. 

Come on you Lions.

Pictures: Pete Green