After losing a relegation game last fall – thus bouncing them from this spring’s premier men’s rugby league – members of the Bayside Sharks didn’t let the disappointment linger.
Sure, they were upset, said head coach Pat Kearney, but it wasn’t something they were going to dwell on.
“I don’t think we’re really thinking about it anymore,” he said.
“It’s too bad, but now we’re (in Division 1), and we’re excited to get back out on the field. We’d like to go out there and win another trophy for the club – even if it’s not the premiership trophy.”
The Sharks’ top squad – for years a fixture on the CDI Premier Rugby League schedule – was eliminated from the circuit after a 20-11 win-and-you’re-in game against Burnaby Lake in late November. Now, they’re competing in an independent first division league alongside five other sides – Richmond, Cowichan, Seattle, Vancouver Rowing Club and Velox (Victoria).
The Sharks hosted Seattle in the season-opener last Saturday, winning a lopsided 87-0 affair. The Sharks’ second-division team edged their Emerald City foes 95-17.
Though they’re playing in a lower division, Kearney said the majority of the team is still in place, minus a player here or there.
“We’re going a bit younger, but the core group is still intact,” he said, adding that veteran Jason Blaak has returned to the fold after some time away, and is serving as the team captain.
A few others have taken the season off, including Brodie Henderson, who currently lives in Edmonton and had been flying in for premier games in the past.
Kearney said a number of premier teams also inquired about borrowing Bayside’s top players for the spring – “Pete Clifford was a hot commodity, being the leading scorer in the fall league,” Kearney said – but all, he said, declined and instead chose to stick with the Sharks for the first-division season.
That allegiance paid off in a big way Saturday, as the Sharks’ cruised past their Seattle visitors with ease.
“Tons of guys scored, it was a good Saturday,” Kearney said, adding that Seattle was likely not fielding its top squad, as some players stayed behind due to passport or other issues.
“I think when we go down there to play, it’ll be a different game.”
And though Kearney doesn’t expect the rest of the season to feature blowout victories – “I don’t imagine we’ll roll through all our games like this,” he said – he said his players are motivated, and looking to catch the attention of teams not just in their first-division league, but the current premier circuit, as well.
“We’re out here now to send a message – don’t forget about us. We’ll be back in the premier league before you know it,” he said.