Aberdeen Grammar co-head coach Nat Coe insists he does not need the worry of relegation to motivate him.
Grammar gave their National One survival hopes a jolt last weekend with a comeback victory against Stewart’s Melville, which was just their third of the season.
The Rubislaw side have 14 points to make up with six games remaining, in order to give themselves a chance of staying up.
Prior to last week’s win, scrum-half Donald Kennedy said the players were trying to put the big picture threat of the drop out of their minds.
The coaching staff do not afford themselves that luxury but the desire to move Grammar forward is motivation enough.
“It’s always in the back of your mind,” said Coe. “For me personally, I’m my own biggest critic and I know the ins and outs of what’s out there.
“I don’t need the fear of that (relegation) to spur me on. I’ll continue to work hard to get the team into a place where we can win games.
“I’ve spent a lot more time this season reflecting on what we’re doing than I would if we were winning games. I would definitely not be challenging myself as much.
“I’m learning more as a coach and I’m just trying to help the players as much as possible.”
77’ | TRY AGR!!!
Scorer unknown but frankly, who cares!! 😁
Conversion added!
STM 24 – 26 AGR#GrammarGranite
— Aberdeen Grammar Rugby (@ABDNRugby) February 18, 2023
Grammar players were not allowed to rest on their laurels, with an intense training session on Tuesday intent on refocusing minds on the trip to Dundee this weekend.
Building moment is a well-worn phrase after a losing run is snapped but for Grammar, that is exactly what they need to do.
“It’s got the potential to be transformative, not only for this season but moving forward,” added Coe.
“Since Christmas we’ve really started the transition and are seeing big changes in how things are going.
“There’s a growing understanding of how we want to play as a team and we’re starting to get the fruits of our labour.
“We had a really difficult session on Tuesday because we were keen to challenge the boys to build on the win, rather than sit back and dwell on it.
“The players got on board and worked really hard. We’re going into this weekend with renewed motivation to get a good result.”
Grammar beat Dundee in the reverse fixture earlier this season but the Mayfield Park side have put some distance between themselves and the bottom teams since then.
“They’ve got a physical forward pack,” added Coe. “Every time I have played them, for the last eight-to-10 years, they’ve been physical up front and we’ve got to match that.
“They’ve been through a transformation of their own and it’s always tough going down there.
“The bench that we had coming on last week was really positive. We had guys who have been on the fringes that made a real statement to play first-team rugby.
“We’ve got the depth to our squad back this season and that’s a real positive from a transition year.”
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