Pre-Season Dinner and a Message from Chris Tuson

[Exiled Wiganer]

I was lucky enough to go along, with Jack, Josie and Terry, to the pre-season dinner, and was very impressed. This is the first time I have been to a do like this at the Club so I have nothing to compare it with, but I thought it was superb evening which left me wildly optimistic for the year(s) ahead.
I did not keep a diary of events, so Josie and Jack and others may be able to shine more light on the details, but I formed the following impressions, having had the chance to speak with Chris Tuson and Amos (who were on our table), plus the Tomkins boys, Lockers, Howarth and a couple of the coaching staff. I also heard the brief speeches, all of which were positive, but none of which said anything which could be described as a scoop.
Here goes...
It was a very professionally run evening. I go to a lot of these events and it was up there with anything I have been to on that scale in London. It may not be worth any points, but 250 people paying 50 quid a head on a regular basis pays for itself and this sort of event gives the right impression to potential sponsors and businesses thinking of bringing clients to corporate hospitality. My only quibble was that I thought the players should have been dressed more smartly. They were not scruffy but they could have all worn team ties for instance.
The players look fit and all seem very confident. It is pre-season and they beat Wire the night before, so this is to be expected, but across the board they seemed genuinely excited about the coming season.
The players have been working as hard as those of us with jobs, coming in early and staying late. Their nutrition and personal training needs are being assessed and tailored far more than ever before. They are working hard but they understand the purpose behind what they are being asked to do. I had been sceptical about the number of coaches the club was employing, but given the amount of time they are working and how closely they are being monitored, I can see why they need a small army.
To a man, they believe that they will be the fittest team in the league. One player contrasted his feelings at the end of the Wire game, when he could have gone on and on if need be, with feeling exhausted by the end of games last year. That player said that this level of fitness was what he was used to in the NRL.
We have incredible depth of talent to draw upon. We have nearly 40 players who are there or thereabouts, and so, in the new meritocracy, there is genuine competition for places in every position (save full back I suppose). This has a very healthy effect on everyone. Even if some fall by the wayside, having the likes of Charnley, Marsh and Thornley vying for outside back spots, for example, increases the chances of a world beater emerging considerably.
Chris T is an absolutely superb young man. Mature, polite, considered and ambitious, he asked us to convey his gratitude for sponsoring him. He has been on the site but has not posted ofr obvious reasons. He will be a credit to us. Jack and I presented him with his shirt, and I assume there will be a picture of that we can post on here somewhere. Jack is the one hogging the limelight in the middle if you get to see it.
The only down note I could think of was that it was a bit sad that a couple of players - Fielden and Pryce - did not have a sponsor. I did not speak to him but KP seemed a peripheral figure to me.
I came away very buoyant and optimistic. They will not win every game, but the whole club looks a very professional organisation, with sufficient talent to meet any challenge. On a number of occasions players mentioned that, in addition to being the fittest they have ever been, while their roles and systems in attack and defence have changed they were all very clear what was expected of them and the adjustments they had to make. That is the secret of successful change.
I wish everybody on the site had been able to get along. It was superb, and I felt privileged to be there on behalf of the site.
Finally, thanks to Josie for her good humour, hard work and attention to detail. She fits in well with the new ultra professional systems at the club.
David

[ancientnloyal]

Glad you enjoyed it EW! thanks for the feedback sounded like a successful night. Im sure KP and Stu will find a sponsor

[consigliere]

I thought they both got sponsors last night?
I'd had a few by then mind, so it might have just been fieldens sponsorship that was auctioned off.

It was a good night last night.
We are sponsoring Paul Deacon this year and he was top quality throughout the evening as was Shaun Ainscough who was also sat with us.

[josie andrews]

Thank you very much for your very kind comments David, I am so glad you & Jack enjoyed your evening. I hope your return to Lingfield was uneventful, I gave Jack a lift home, and, that your wife believed your story

Yes it was a very good night and well done to the all the Sales & Marketing team for all the hard work they put in to make this evening a resounding success.