Danny Ward has done wonders for my career, says London captain Will Lovell

Drew Darbyshire 06 May 2020 4:05 PM

London captain Will Lovell says coach Danny Ward has had a massive impact on his career – and the Broncos as a club.

Ward took over the coaching reins from Andrew Henderson at London in 2018 and guided the club to Super League, where they only then suffered relegation on points difference.

The 39-year-old is regarded as one of the best British coaches in the game at present – and Lovell says it isn’t hard to see why.

Lovell said: “He’s brilliant. I can’t speak highly enough of him, he’s done wonders for me and my career.

“He is as he is on camera. He likes to have a laugh and a joke off the field but the same time he commands that respect and you have to work for him.

“If you dig and gain his respect then he rewards you and has a bit of a laugh with you as well.

“The culture that Danny and Jamie (Langley, assistant coach) have built here is great and it has been here for a few seasons now.

“We’ve managed to keep hold of the core group that we had in Super League – and the core group has been around London for quite a bit now so the whole ethos around the club is solid.”

Northampton-born Lovell has spent his entire career in the capital – enjoying two spells with the Broncos as well as a stint with London Skolars.

And the back-rower, who has been appointed captain for 2020, is now aiming to take the club back to Super League at the first time of asking.

Lovell added: “I’m immensely proud to captain the club.

“Its been a hell of a journey for me personally but to come through the academy, reserves, first-team and then to become captain is a huge honour. My family are really proud and so am I.

“Our goal is promotion. We were bitterly disappointed how we came down on points difference last year. We matched a lot of teams but we’ve got to put that to bed and focus on getting back up there for 2021.

“Everyone knows our identity now as the Broncos out of Ealing and we’ve got great facilities for us train at now. I think a lot of teams found it hard coming down to us last year so we try to utilise our 4G pitch the best we can and hopefully we can make the most of it again this year.”

Watch our Last Tackle podcast, featuring a guest, every week. SUBSCRIBE to Love Rugby League on YouTube.

Listen to The Final Hooter podcast, featuring exclusive interviews, every week. SUBSCRIBE to Love Rugby League on Apple Podcasts.