Sam Knudson has paid tribute to the collective effort which helped keep Aberdeen Grammar motivated during a difficult start to the season.
The Grammar stalwart praised co-lead coach Nat Coe and senior figures within the squad, after the Rubislaw side endured a winless start to the season.
But a 19-0 win over Stewart’s Melville last weekend has raised spirits around the club and Grammar now have the opportunity to move away from the bottom end of National One.
“Nat has done a good job on keeping people focused on our own game and not too much on what other people are doing,” said Knudson. “We’ve continued to improve each week.
“We’ve been plagued with a number of injuries, notably a few concussions, but we’ve been trying to put a positive spin on it – Nat has to take a lot of credit for that.
“The senior boys have stepped up. We do have a young team, so everyone is having to step into the fold. Paddy Ritchie and Craig Shepherd are just two who have stepped up.
“It’s been a collective effort to keep boys motivated.”
Knudson has seen his fair share of challenges at Grammar before, during his lengthy tenure with the club.
Grammar were relegated last season after a tumultuous, injury-hit campaign. A change of coaching staff over the summer precipitated six defeats in a row to start their league run.
“I’ve definitely been here before,” added Knudson. “It’s just the peaks and troughs of rugby in Aberdeen – it very much depends on the influx of players, year in year out.
“We very much struggled out of lockdown, but we seem to have reset the baseline with our player pool. We’re putting out two teams every week and, as a club, that’s quite strong.
“We’ve just got to weather the storm, keep getting two teams out and hope we get the results we need.”
Who else is still on a high from Saturday?🤩
All photos are now up on our website and full match is available on our YouTube!#GrammarGranite | @StewMelRugby1 pic.twitter.com/L6newYABi1
— Aberdeen Grammar Rugby (@ABDNRugby) October 24, 2022
Grammar welcome Dundee to Rubislaw this weekend and will be buoyed by recapturing the winning feeling again.
“We needed that morale boost, it was a long time in coming,” said Knudson. “We were a bit nervous trying to keep hold of the lead and that’s maybe why we only scored 19 points.
“Later on in the season, when we’re a bit more confident, we’ll put a few more points on the board.
“I think the last win we had was Musselburgh at the end of last season – a lot of the new guys hadn’t won in a Grammar top, so for the majority of people, it was a brand new feeling.
“With the high turnover and the bedding-in period, hopefully, we can kick on now.
“If we didn’t win on Saturday, things wouldn’t have been looking good, but, with the home games now, the whole season turns around if we can pick up a few wins.”
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