Duffy in no doubt about Swinton’s Shield aim

Swinton Lions coach John Duffy is very clear about what his team’s target is heading into the Championship Shield section of the season.

The Lions coach wants his team to avoid relegation, and he and his coaching and medical staff will be doing their utmost to ensure that the target is hit.

“We’ve just got to stay up – that’s us in a nutshell,” he told Love Rugby League.

“Same as everyone else probably! We’ve got to stay up and fight for everything now.

“We couldn’t wait for this week off and the chance to recharge ourselves.

“Then we go seven weeks on the bounce and we fight to stay up.”

The Swinton coach, who will be part of Steve McCormack’s coaching team with Scotland in the Four Nations this season, also praised the club’s backroom staff for the way in which they have kept the players healthy this season.

He is also looking forward to working with new signing Jake Emmit, who has returned to the UK after a short spell in Australia.

Duffy feels that the Welsh international will fill a void left in the squad by the retirement of Mike Morrison.

“We’re good. Our medical team and strength and conditioning team, and the injury and prevention stuff that they do, has been first class,” he said.

“We haven’t had many injuries, touch wood! So we’ll recharge this week and really attack it.

“We’ve got Jake Emmit coming in too, and that’s a big signing for the club.

“Hopefully he’ll add that experience and guile up front, and the younger guys can really look up to him.

“We lost that leadership with our captain, Mike Morrison, retiring. We lost that bit of a voice and someone to go to for our younger lads.

“Jake can fill that void for us.”

Swinton finished in ninth place, with 15 points, but were only one point behind Sheffield Eagles in seventh, though Halifax in sixth were a long way away with 27 points.

Duffy is pleased with how his club have remained consistent despite their slender resources compared to most of the other teams in the division.

“It has been a good season, yes,” he said.

“It’s been a really tough experience, but we’ve enjoyed it.

“We’ve had some tough weeks, and some really good weeks.

“Everyone’s bought in, and we’ve got a young squad, and a young coaching team, to be fair.

“Everyone’s doing really well.”