Spare a thought for Navy

The men representing the sea-going force are looking to drop anchor this season after some stormy years and now without much to brag about

Navy Sports Club’s dominance in the inter-club rugby league hit rock bottom in the last few years having failed to compete for the title at all. 
The team from Welisara used to be a driving force in the domestic rugby circuit but over last few years they have been at the bottom half majority of the time failing to secure experienced players. 
They have however, appointed Dhanusha Boteju as their head coach ahead of the season who revealed that they will not be signing any of the senior players. 
“No experienced players have joined us from other clubs. We have approached some school players and they will join us after their A/Ls and we have a procedure to recruit newcomers who will join us from the second round,” Boteju told the Daily Mirror. 
Boteju who was part of the Havelock coaching staff hopes he can inspire the Navy side this season. 
“For the last two seasons, I worked for Havelock Sports Club as a Forwards and assistant coach. Havelocks ended second in the league last season and I joined Navy this year. Hopefully we can make good progress this year at Navy,” said Boteju.
Navy had a couple of practice matches are looking forward to carry some of it into the new season.
“We started with our general preparations and after that we played a couple of practice matches as part of our special preparations. 
“During those practice matches, our performance was at a level we expected. We’re now looking forward to starting the season well in our first match,” said Boteju. 
Navy’s venue in Welisara used to be a fortress for them over the years but now they have lost that dominance at home.
“This is a big challenge for me, and when it comes to home matches, every team has an advantage on their home ground. We’re looking forward to making the most of that advantage this year,” said Boteju. 
“We have a long-term plan, but for this season our goal is to finish in the top four. Every match will be a challenge, and we want to perform well in each game. 
“We have a limited squad this season, but our aim is to build and maintain a solid rugby team for Navy.”