Aberdeen coach reveals Scottish domestic frustration

Aberdeen Warriors coach Craig Parslow believes that the focus paid to the Scotland national team in recent years has been to the detriment of the domestic game North of the Border.

Parslow believes that much more support needs to be given to grassroots rugby league in Scotland, not least because the talent and enthusiasm for the game is there in Scotland.

Scottish league fans and those involved in the grassroots sport in Scotland are repeatedly being frustrated by ill-timed funding cuts, governing bodies who seem to pay lip service to the idea of giving support to Scotland, and a lack of meaningful competition for Scottish club.

“There’s far too much focus on the international team,” Parslow told Scottish newspaper the Herald.

“We’ve completely lost touch with grassroots rugby league in my opinion. People keep asking me why I keep doing this, telling me there’s nothing there.

“But you go out there and there’s a 16 year old kiddie playing, I’ve got people playing the game for the first time in that Challenge Cup time.

“They want to play, physically we can do, but it’s the lack of game time and the lack of training that’s the difference.

“Some of the guys I originally had as kids back in 2011 want to play the game, but because there’s no games they’re going to play union.”