a day ago
Strathendrick coach hails community unity after perfect season on the pitch
The Kiwi coach led the Fintry club to a note-perfect season as they romped to the West Region Division Two crown - scoring more than 1,000 points in the process.
Strathendrick coach Eddie Roche says he's loving life in the hotseat as he prepares to take the Fintry club into a new division next time round.
The Kiwi enjoyed a perfect first year in the job as his side enjoyed an unbeaten campaign to romp to glory in the West Region League Division Two, racking up more than 1000 points across a stop-start season.
Now as Roche gives her players some much-needed time off before an assault on the Division One crown, he's spoken to the Observer about his journey from Stateside to the idyllic Stirlingshire countryside ... and the power of the community's togetherness on the pitch.
He said: 'I was in Boston but my wife is from Fintry originally and we were looking to move back and did so in late 2023.
'Marcus Holden - who plays for Stirling County - is a mate of mine and he knew some people at the club and that they were looking to have someone come in so I took the opportunity.
'I've played and coached all over the world, but what has struck me about this club is how deep seated the connection is with the community around them. The majority of the players on the pitch are coming through the youth system and a lot of them have been since they were teenagers.
'Inner city clubs, in my experience, don't know the same number of 'one-club men' and that was the most compelling thing - in a small community like this, the rugby club is at the heart of things and getting those connections is really fantastic.'
'Endrick ended up romping away with the crown last season, beating nearest rivals Carrick by 14 points in a perfect season where they ended up with a whopping +905 points difference.
After a gruelling campaign, Roche acknowledged the need for rest - but the players will soon be back in for pre-season training in July before their Division One season starts off with a home fixture against Annan before a trip to East Kilbride.
Roche added: 'It's a tricky one because the season was so long, we played eight or nine games on the spin through August to October, then winter we played one game before squeezing the matches in all the way up to early May.
'The regional level guys need that time off, so we've given them a rest and then pre-season starts in the second week of July which gives us a good six or seven weeks before the season start.
'We're excited about the opportunity of the new league - we felt we had become a victim of our own success a little last season because some clubs weren't putting out their strongest sides against us because they felt it was a foregone conclusion.
'Having competitive matches every week will be good for a young side who want that action; we're confident in the way we play and the quality of players we have in the squad, the depth of which will really be tested.'
