We caught up with Leeds Tykes’ captain Jake Brady to review the Ventur Cup so far and assess the behaviours that will underpin the team’s performance in this competition and beyond.
Speaking of where the team are in relation to when Phil Davies first took charge, Brady was glowing in his endorsement of the Welshman’s impact: “When our season in the Championship ended abruptly, Phil got together with myself and the core leadership group to shape the future of the club. He asked where we wanted to go, what our identity was going to look like going forwards and how we wanted to represent both ourselves as individuals, the team as a whole and the city of Leeds.”
Davies is a natural leader and a proven winner who achieved unprecedented success in his first tenure at the club, leading them to Powergen Cup glory at Twickenham and with that a place in Europe’s premier competition, The Heineken Cup. Armed with a clear idea of what it takes for the club to succeed, his return was met with a real sense of optimism by the squad and supporters alike.
While he was unable to perform a miracle and maintain their Championship status, he made some fundamental changes behind the scenes to create a sustainable future for Rugby Union in the city.
“When Phil came in, we were at a low ebb and clearly on a downward trajectory. The club needed to re-evaluate to turn things around,” said the skipper.
Amid their relegation battle in The Championship, on a shoestring budget compared to their opponents, the time wasn’t right for wholesale changes. “At the time, the objective was still to stay in the division. We knew that things weren’t going well but needed to implement change gradually,” the second-row recalls.
When the global pandemic put pay to any hope of survival, inevitable relegation soon followed. Instead of being sombre, the club stood tall. Acknowledging past mistakes in full view of their critics, Leeds used the demotion as a chance to reset the entire rugby operation.
One the first things Davies identified when his return was announced was the imperative nature of switching the name back to the one which had served them so well previously. Leeds Tykes was once a rugby institution, synonymous with ‘Hard Work’ coupled with a ‘Team First’ mentality, involving ‘No Excuses’ from a team built on ‘Honesty’. It should therefore come as no surprise that when the coach analysed the results of a survey sent to his players at the start of preseason, these were the characteristics that shone through.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s return fixture against Hull Ionians, the captain breaks down each of the principles, explaining the significance of each one.
Each pillar was assigned a different leader who was tasked with becoming the embodiment of that founding principle. The leaders of each value will change throughout the season to reward those most in tune with what the collective expects.
#Honesty
Symbolised by a rock. This value represents the journey that the whole club is currently on. “Are you going the extra yard for yourself and your teammates?”
#Team1st
Depicted as an African wild dog. To reflect the initial meaning of ‘Tyke,’ they are the most successful pack hunting animal and put the needs of others ahead of their own. Symbolic of the need for all stakeholders to be pulling in the right direction for the club to succeed.
#NoExcuses
Represented by a ring. This denotes the project being continuous without an endpoint, not allowing for excuses to creep in and detract from growth both individually and collectively.
#WorkHard
Emblematised by a hammer. Everyone is aware that success takes graft. Every successful team needs to understand the sum of its parts. A good team ethos where each member sees the bigger picture and clearly understands their role is fundamental to achieve any aims and objectives.
We encourage all supporters to buy into these values as you see them at the core of everything we’re trying to do.
We look forward to welcoming you to The Sycamores tomorrow, kick-off: 15:00.
Up the Tykes!
Photo courtesy of John Ashton
