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DMP Sharks: 'There's never an incentive to come and play for us'

By Lucy Lomax
Cara Cookland of Durham Mowden Park Sharks in action during the WOMEN'S ALLIANZ PREMIER 15S match between DMP Durham Sharks and Harlequins at the Northern Echo Arena, Darlington on Saturday 26th February 2022.(Photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The past season and a half has been challenging for DMP Durham Sharks in the elite women’s competition in England. With every other Premier 15s club associated with a men’s Premiership team with deeper pockets and better resources, the North East side has had to dig deep to avoid humiliating score lines on a weekly basis.

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But who can blame them when every other Premier 15s club has the ability to pay players except them? With player retention an issue, the club have struggled with their squad depth of late and despite being a hot bed for English talent in former years, DMP have been stuck to the bottom of the table, without a win to their name all season.

Saying this, recent performance have drastically improved and a few months ago when the team called out internet trolls who criticised their performances and existence in the top league, the club received a barrage of support from opposition clubs, supporters and players alike.

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One player who has been essential for DMP is fly-half Cara Cookland. At only 21 years old the number ten exudes wisdom beyond her young years when asked how she copes with the constant string of heavy defeats.

“It’s really tough to experience all the losses but I focus more on myself rather than the things I can’t control,” said the third year Leeds Beckett student.

“I still feel I’ve improved as a player despite the results and find there is still a lot I can do to get better such as analysis before training or booking an extra slot with the coaches who are always available if we want to do extra sessions.

“We have had a tough season or two but we are getting better, we’re fighting for each other which is important to keep morale high and we try and be as positive as we can for each other on the pitch.

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“When I come off the pitch after losing heavily, I’ll usually sit in the corner away from others and re-watch the game and see what I could have done better and focus on myself. We have this mindset of asking how can we improve the next week, we don’t want to fix everything all at once but it’s about what can we do 1% better next week, or thinking we scored one try this week, let’s aim for two next week.

“It’s amazing to be part of the Premier 15s competition and to go up against internationals players in my position like Zoe Harrison and people who play for England. Being in this league means I can test myself against the best players in the country which is a big positive for me personally as that’s where I want to be eventually.”

Cookland accepts that without the ability to compensate players and the growing professionalism of the game, there is a large gap between DMP and what other clubs can offer.

“We don’t have any full-time players at the club, none of us are paid to play, which is one of our main issues. We don’t have much squad depth and I imagine that’s why, as there’s never an incentive for a player to come and play for us.

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“When you look at all the other Premier 15s teams, they have a men’s Premiership side to back them up and they’ll get revenue through that but we have a National 1 Men’s side a few leagues below which doesn’t generate the same revenue from match days or sponsors. It goes without saying, Darlington Mowden Park aren’t as well-known as a Harlequins or a Saracens.”

With the majority of players in the league either semi-professional or receiving a stipend to play, as well as the full time contracted Red Roses employed by the RFU, the league is heavily weighted in the favour of clubs who possess these players, meaning that home grown talent has gushed out of DMP in recent years.

“A lot of international players have come from the northeast or Yorkshire areas but have had to move on in order to play full time. At Darlington we all have full time jobs and can’t do as much training as other teams as we just don’t have the time.

“When we had a number of Scottish internationals playing for us two seasons ago, we finished further up the table, but those players are good enough to expect to be paid and they have to make those moves for themselves and their careers which is completely understandable.

“We want to make those steps to have full time players at the club but when we look at the budget, it’s hard to make it happen. Also, the RFU gives all the teams the same travel budget and I know they can’t give preferential treatment to certain teams, but we are the furthest North and we definitely have to travel further than other teams.”

Cookland admits that she has looked further afield and thought about changing clubs but despite the losses, the club does offer an opportunity for development and an encouraging environment in which to do so.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about moving but I’ve been at the club three years now and I’m developing and enjoying it and it’s not the right thing for me at the minute. It’s a really positive environment at DMP and we’re staying resilient to the challenge of this league.

“Like everyone in the Premiership, I want the league to go pro, that’s always been a dream of mine and I’ve always wanted to play for England so it’s about keeping strong and pushing myself to get there.”

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J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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