Gary Freeman is very much a ‘no thrills’ sort of man. Give him the quiet life any day.
And the 3-0 win at Camberley on Saturday was the perfect tonic to the headache-inducing 4-4 draw at Sandhurst a week previous, during which Freeman saw his side throw away a two-goal lead deep into added on time.
Two expert finishes from Lorne Bickley and a first in Bulls colours for James Carr ensured there was no repeat in Surrey, Freeman satisfied with a performance as efficient as last weeks was chaotic.
“I couldn’t ask more than that really, we showed the control that, for some reason, went missing last week. Camberley are always quite lively here but once we managed to subdue their energy in the first 20 minutes, I felt the game was in our hands,” said Freeman.
“It’s fair to say it’s been a bit of an unusual week for us as we focused heavily on what happened at Sandhurst. And that probably impacted the selection and plan for this weekend, as we asked our full backs to sit a little deeper and those in the spine to stay tight.
“But like at Sandhurst, and in the Tooting home game, we always create chances and you know, at some point, Lorne will find his range. Both his goals today were classic centre-forward type finishes. Ultimately, they’ve won us the game.”
Freeman was also delighted with Carr’s contribution, his strike early in the second period put the game to bed and completed a very satisfactory afternoon for the Bulls. “James has been with the group for a little while now and has picked up minutes here and there over the past month or so, and he’s done really well.
“He’s got plenty to learn but the goal will only add to his confidence and he knows he needs to do things like that to knock on the door.
“It’s no secret we’ve struggled a little bit with injuries and unavailability and that’s given opportunities to guys like James. And he’s stepped up and taken his,” Freeman said.
In a difficult week for sport on the Island which saw the collapse of the Jersey Reds, Freeman was in reflective mood, aware of the need for financial resource to grow and improve, but to do so sustainably. “I’m desperately disappointed for [director of rugby] Harvey [Biljon] and all those connected with the Reds, I can’t imagine what they must be feeling now.
“Elite sport is challenging at the best of times, but the experience they are going through is sadly, in rugby, not unique anymore.
“I don’t know what’s gone on behind the scenes to lead the Reds to that point, though I see the hard work that Ian Horswell and the rest of the board put in to allow us to compete. Developing any organisation and pushing to achieve your ambition requires finance, and that isn’t easy.
“The Reds brought a huge amount of pride and publicity to the Island and we’ve all benefitted from that.
“I hope the people impacted can get back on their feet quickly, of course. But there are lessons to be learned from this for our Island, and I hope we stay connected.’
