Iestyn Harris praises his players on his departure from the Crusaders - Rugby League News
Iestyn Harris, the departing coach of the Crusaders, praised his players despite their embarrassing 42-10 defeat against Wigan Warriors in their final Super League showdown on Friday, September 9, at the DW Stadium.
The defeat was a massive blow for the Crusaders because with this result they have earned the wooden spoon the second time in three years.
Crusaders were hoping to exit the Super League in a less embarrassing fashion after they had pulled themselves out of the Super League licensing process because of the poor financial conditions of the franchise.
However, the fixture did not end in Crusaders’ favour but it was a farewell game for many which included Harris, who is expected to sign-in as an assistant to Shaun Wane, the latest head coach of Wigans.
Harris is very excited about his future with Wigans. While speaking about his team’s performance in their Super League concluding fixture, Harris stated, “Harris' men produced a spirited display in front of a vociferous band of travelling fans but it was
all in vain, and their misery was compounded by news of Wakefield's victory over Bradford which condemned them to their second wooden spoon in three seasons. It's a sad day for sport but I thought the players did extremely well in difficult circumstances.
They showed real pride for each other."
He talked about the difficult times the players were going through after they learned about Crusaders’ withdrawal from the Super League licensing process for games until 2014. This was a trying time for the entire outfit because the players were on a look-out
for other ways to pay-off their mortgages. According to him, Crusaders wanted to finish off the bottom of the League standings, to exit out of the Super League in a less embarrassing fashion.
He went on and explained that when things unfold in such a fashion, it affects the focus of players adversely. He further said that Crusaders players were not playing as a team because they were focused on their individual performances in hopes of bagging
future contracts.
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