Senior pre-season training is under way in Mullingar Rugby Club under the newly appointed coaching team led by Ray Murphy, that includes the very experienced Jeff Tataurangi; Mick Butler as backs coach; Pete Leahy as under 21 coach; and Chris Taaffe as team manager.
The club, considered by many to be a sleeping giant in Leinster junior rugby, has decided to go for a back to basic type approach for the coming season and is attracting many of the young home-grown talented players who have drifted away from the club over the past few seasons.
In times past there has been a tendency for clubs like Mullingar to beef up their teams with foreign imports and thus deny talented home-grown players the opportunity to play first-team football. A look through the youths players over the past few years quickly led MRFC to the conclusion that foreign imports are no longer necessary. The players needed are in the town and this year’s strategy is to get them back playing winning rugby for the club where they first learned to play the game.
Another source of talent the rugby club plans to tap are those rugby players who may have moved to the town from other parts of the country, but just haven’t gotten around to approaching the club. It’s not easy sometimes to just turn up at a new club but rest assured you will be made feel very welcome at Mullingar RFC.
There is no doubting that in recent years the Mullingar senior section has fallen behind some of its local rivals and the mission this year is to start rectifying that. One only needs to look at the achievements of two similar-sized clubs in similar-sized towns like Navan, (promoted to the AIL ) and Tullamore (all-Ireland cup winners ) to see what Mullingar is missing out on. The irony is that both these clubs would have dreaded a trip to Mullingar just a few short seasons ago. Clearly the potential is out there. And with work shortly due to begin on upgrading the club’s facilities including state of the art floodlighting to allow evening games during the winter, it is clear the general committee are backing the coaching staff and players drive to put themselves back where they belong in Leinster rugby.
Do you want to play rugby?
So whether you are one of the aforementioned former players playing elsewhere or are new to town and want to join a vibrant and social club with big plans on the playing front, get yourself out to Mullingar rugby club. Club training Tuesday and Friday nights at 7.30pm sharp with supplemental circuit training Wednesdays and Saturdays. For further info please contact the club coach on (087 ) 9060118.
