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| MARK ASTON |


Mark Aston is Head Coach of The Sheffield Eagles and Ireland. He talks about the hurdles facing The Wolfhounds in the forthcoming World Cup.


are always challenges to meet, hurdles to overcome and battles to be won.


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But when the going gets tough, the tough get going and that is certainly the case with Sheffield Eagles and Ireland Head Coach Mark Aston.


At the time of sitting down with Coaching Matters, it had just been revealed that Aston’s beloved Eagles could be looking for a new home as Sheffield’s iconic Don Valley Stadium had been earmarked for demolition.


On the international stage it’s World Cup year, but his Ireland squad is unable to train together until just weeks before the tournament kicks off.


Meanwhile, on a personal basis, his teenage son is poised to break through into the Sheffield first team and, as Head Coach, that opens up a whole new world of mixed emotions.


But problems aside, Aston has never been one to shy away from a challenge. This is a man who knows Rugby League and knows what he wants to get from the game.


‘This club is my lifeblood,’ he said amid a steady stream of bites of his lunch, phone calls and Eagles staff all needing a few moments of his time. ‘It’s all I know and I can’t imagine it not being part of my life.’


hether you’re the coach of a junior side, professional team, or even an international squad, coaching is never plain sailing. There


Chatting just days after the Don Valley announcement, the ever-cheerful dad of two seems to take it all in his stride. By all accounts this is a character trait he has passed on to his 18-year-old son Cory, who ran out for the Eagles for his first-team debut on 7 April in the third round of the Challenge Cup.


Aston Jr plays in the half-back position, like his father before him. The debut comes almost 15 years after Aston played a central role in defeating Wigan in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, winning the Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match in the process. He lifted Cory, then just a toddler, onto his shoulders on the pitch for the post-match celebrations as Sheffield enjoyed their finest hour and one of the biggest upsets in Rugby League history.


‘Cory has been playing great for the academy side this year and he’s ready for the step up,’ he explained. ‘There is a lot of pressure and the spotlight will be on him, what with my history at the club and being Head Coach, but he’s worked hard and fully deserves his spot.’


The 45-year-old former half-back with Sheffield Eagles and Great Britain had short spells with Featherstone Rovers and Bramley Buffaloes, but the bulk of his career was spent with the Eagles, whom he joined in 1985.


He retired from playing in 2004, having been the figurehead in the fight to save the Eagles after their merger with Huddersfield.


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