En Voyage_Issue#11_Flickbook

Sport
‘But it’s a really talented team, one of the strongest
we’ve had. A lot of boys have been playing for a while
now and we have a lot of colts coming through
the academy - three of them played in the Siam
and they really stepped up. All of the boys did.’
Despite coming hot off the heels of their historic 38-
23 win over Bournemouth in their promotion play-off,
the team didn’t enjoy a great training session prior to
the Siam Cup. In fact, passes were going on the floor
and the team looked sloppy, but Vice Captain Tom
Ceillam knew the boys would deliver on the day.
‘THIS YEAR, WE
WERE COMING OFF
THE BACK OF A
SUCCESSFUL SEASON
AND PLAYING AT
HOME IN FRONT OF
A PACKED CROWD,
AND THEIR BELIEF IN
THE TEAM REALLY
INSPIRED US’
‘It wasn’t our
standard Siam
training. The intensity
wasn’t there but I
knew come Saturday
we’d be raring to
go, and we were.
The Siam is a special
match for us. For the
guys who come in
and play for a season,
it doesn’t seem like
a big deal, it’s not a
league game. But
they play and then say, “I want to play that again next
year.” It has a special atmosphere and there’s a hunger
for it, you can see it in the boys’ eyes,’ said Tom, 27.
‘Knowing that was my tenth Siam Cup match, I felt
we were due a win. It seemed like everything was
falling into place. Everyone knew their role and did
their jobs well. We were a tight-knit team and after
Bournemouth, the pressure was on. We knew that this
had to be the year, or it was never going to happen.’
TOP: ACTION FROM THE SIAM CUP
ABOVE: GUERNSEY RAIDERS CELEBRATING PROMOTION
TO THE NATIONAL TWO SOUTH
ALL PHOTOS © MARTIN GRAY
– GUERNSEY SPORT PHOTOGRAPHY.COM
And the pressure doesn’t end there. Newly
promoted, the Raiders face 15 clubs next season,
ranging from Redruth in the far west of Cornwall
up to Birmingham and Solihull in the Midlands, and
across to Canterbury in the east. It’ll be a tough
challenge as the team tries to stay up in the league.
‘We have some targets, like improving our physical
approach to the game, our strength, and tweaking
our mindset to help us develop,’ said Jordan.
‘But this is one of the best squads I’ve been able to
assemble. They’ve got a lot more to show and this will
be the opportunity to prove what they can really do
122 En Voyage | Aurigny’s Magazine