Thornhill Trojans have lived through enough eras of community rugby league to know that the sport never stands still. For head coach Mark Roberts, this season has been a reminder of that.
“It’s been an up and down season for us,” he admitted. “We set off quite well, and then towards the end of the season we’ve struggled players?wise. But it is part of what rugby is at the minute.”
The Trojans are navigating a changing landscape. With the move into regional divisions and the shift away from the traditional National Conference League structure, Roberts has seen both positives and challenges.
“Years ago when I played in the National Conference, it was the elite.” he said. “Going into the local areas, I get it because of the finances now and the lack of youth coming through. Unfortunately, teams seem to be crumbling for reasons I’m not quite sure of.”
But for Thornhill, regional rugby has brought something valuable back: community. “It saves money, it brings people close together,” Roberts said. “A good local derby brings money into clubs.
You get a lot of people going, watching the game, then they go in the club. That’s what it’s all about — keeping the game alive, keeping the clubs alive.”
Thornhill’s place in the Dewsbury rugby scene is something Roberts speaks about with pride and realism. “For a lot of years we were the top team in the area,” he said. “It’s hard at the minute.” But the club is rebuilding from the ground up. “
We didn’t have a junior side when we were at the top of the game. All those players have got older, and now the kids are coming through. We’ve now got the youth coming through, which is the development we’ve got to try and keep the club together.”
That youth system is now one of Thornhill’s biggest strengths.
“We’ve got 14s, 16s and 18s,” Roberts explained. “The 16s and 18s train with us now, which is really good. They’re starting to get to know everybody, starting to get the banter. We keep dipping some of the 18s in and they’re doing really well. There’s some really good young lads coming through.”
For Roberts, rugby league is an apprenticeship. “You learn your stripes, you earn your respect of your older players,” he said. And at Thornhill Trojans, that apprenticeship still matters. The club is rebuilding, reconnecting, and re?investing in its future.
Under Mark Roberts, the Trojans are determined to make sure their proud history has an equally proud future
