There is optimism around Warlingham’s Senior Men heading into the new season, but Head Coach Tom Street is measuring progress by much more than results on a Saturday afternoon. We caught up with him to find out about a growing sense of belief that is emerging within the squad.

After several seasons of rebuilding, the signs Tom is looking for can increasingly be found on Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 30-plus players at training, senior players setting standards themselves, teammates arriving early to throw a ball around together and, once the work is done, almost the entire squad staying behind for food, a beer and each other’s company.

For Tom, that is where the foundations of a successful rugby side are being laid.

“If you get the culture right and you get the right people working as hard as they can, everything else takes care of itself.”

Last season’s mid-table finish was, he believes, a fair reflection of where the side was at that stage of its development. But behind the results, something more important was beginning to take hold.

“The big thing since I’ve taken over has been making sure the culture is right and that the boys really enjoy it,” Tom explains. “They work really hard for each other and I think that’s thoroughly embedded now. There’s a real drive and a vision to get better, and the whole squad is fully behind it.”

Players leading the way

Central to that change has been the increasing ownership being taken by the players themselves.

Captain Morgan Gillam earns particular praise from his coach, alongside vice-captain Ollie Wilson and other senior members of the squad who are now driving standards from within.

“Morgan has grown into an incredible captain and he’s got the right people behind him,” says Tom. “The guys are sorting out warm-ups, getting equipment ready and, if standards aren’t high enough, they’re dealing with that themselves.”

“They’re the ones putting the time and effort in. They’re finding players, setting standards and driving the club forward.”

That ownership extends beyond training. The squad has been taking responsibility for its kit and changing rooms and developing what has become known within the group as the ‘Warly Way’, creating an environment in which wearing the badge comes with both pride and responsibility.

For Tom, it represents a major shift.

“We’ve had some difficult seasons and it’s taken a lot of work from everyone at the club to steady the ship. Now we’re in a place where things are going well, numbers are good and it’s a very exciting time. I really hope these guys have the season they deserve.”

Rugby, but also mates

Pre-season has only strengthened that feeling.

Training numbers have regularly topped 30, while the rugby itself is beginning from a considerably more advanced starting point than in previous summers. Shape and structure that once had to be taught repeatedly are becoming instinctive, allowing the coaching team to put greater demands on a young and developing squad.

Sessions mix conditioned touch, skills, contact work, tactical challenges and decision-making before usually finishing with some captain-led rugby.

But there is another ingredient Tom believes matters just as much.

“The best thing about being at a rugby club is being with your mates and having a good time,” he says.

Players arrive early to catch up and toss a ball about, while Thursday training increasingly continues long after the final whistle. Chairman Chris Cave and his wife have been putting on food for the squad, with players, coaches, sports therapists and club officials staying together afterwards for a beer and plenty of inevitable changing-room humour.

“I’d probably say 90%, if not all, of the guys stay behind,” says Tom.

“You can talk about success in so many ways and obviously winning games matters. But I also look at success by the amount of people staying afterwards, having a chat and enjoying being together. That’s when you know you’ve got something.”

A familiar face returns

Perhaps one of the clearest endorsements of the environment being created is the recent return of Riley Potter.

Riley left Warlingham last season to test himself at higher-leagued Westcombe Park, gaining valuable experience and developing his game before deciding to return to Hamsey Green this summer.

Tom believes players with the ability and ambition to challenge themselves at a higher level should always be encouraged to do so.

“We want what’s best for each person individually,” he says. “Riley went away, played a really high level of rugby and has clearly developed considerably. Now he wants to come back and get on board with what is hopefully going to be something good here this season. We’ll lean on what he’s learnt and we’re really chuffed to have him back.”

And the message to others is similar.

“If somebody wants to go and have a crack at a higher level, we’ll support them all the way. Hopefully, if we share the love and create a good culture here, they’ll want to come back. The door is always open.”

Unlocking potential

There will inevitably be targets for the season, but don't expect Tom to start predicting league positions.

Instead, he wants the squad to continue growing, enjoy their rugby and improve every time they take the field.

“I never talk about where we’re going to finish,” he says. “I want the culture to grow, I want them to have fun and I want them to get better every game.”

There is, though, obvious excitement about what this group might be capable of.

Warlingham have a young side that is maturing physically and tactically each season, increasingly capable of managing matches and playing the expansive rugby their coaches want to see.

“We want to chuck the ball about and play an exciting brand of rugby,” says Tom.

“What excites me most is unlocking potential that has been there for a while. If we get things right and stay consistent with training, I think it could be an exciting year.”

The unusually dry summer has interrupted some of Warlingham’s planned pre-season fixtures, but Tom isn't allowing something outside the squad’s control to derail preparations.

Instead, it simply means more time together on the training field.

And perhaps that is no bad thing.

Because while the league table will eventually provide one measure of how far Warlingham have travelled, something significant already appears to be happening within the group.

Players are turning up. They are taking responsibility. They are bringing others with them. They are staying afterwards.

And, increasingly, there is a sense of pride and enjoyment around pulling on a Warlingham shirt.

Asked after our conversation for three words to describe his squad, Tom settled on:

Resilient. Genuine. Ambitious.

That feels like a pretty good place from which to start a season.