Eleven games into the season and the boys have come a long way since our first trial match back in Barrow in July against the Hindpool Tigers. The Atoms are playing in Division Three of the Northern rugby league conference and against some teams that are the complete package. These teams have been playing Division Three or higher for some time and have a large number of players to call from at any given time.

These teams are also situated in the heartland of rugby league and their player turnover and they attract players who have played at a reasonably high level for some time or who have dropped down from a higher level.

The Atoms are not in rugby league heartland and they are squeezed between football and rugby union which dominate the participation sports throughout the Lancaster area.

They don't draw from any local clubs nor do many players with any experience just wander into town looking for a game.

They are local lads that live and work in the area and come down every week to participate in the greatest game on the planet.

When I arrived from Australia in July I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to the standard of league I was getting myself into or the calibre of player I was about to coach.

I did, however, change dramatically the game that the Atoms were currently playing into a more simplified brand of league that I have been used of playing and training for some 20 years in Australia.

The art of playing the game with 30 per cent physical ability and 70 per cent mental attitude needed to be introduced.

This, along with the importance of a good kicking game and staying in their allotted channels across the pitch, meant that the players were covering half the distance they were covering previously.

Then there is the art of tackling, sliding defence and being able to position oneself to be in the best possible area of the pitch to strike at any given time in defence or attack.

The Atoms took some time to adapt to these major changes but the fruits of our labour are starting to show in the last two months with three wins from our last five outings.

There is the confidence in the players that on their day they have the firepower and the ability to be able to beat any side in the competition.

I have been asked on numerous occasions whilst in England to summarise the difference between rugby league in both countries.

The game itself is similar all over the world and the skill and passion and the will to win is the same, but it is the junior structure and how we bring our youngsters through the ranks that is completely different.

In most towns in Australia at the age of six there are about five or six clubs to choose who you would like to play rugby league for.

At the age of 10 you start to get chosen to play representative rugby league and play with the best country footballers around the state and learn many different skills from other players and coaches.

At 16 you progress into the senior levels, still playing your age group yet training with the senior boys and playing the odd game for reserve or first grade.

Australia have a very good system at being able to find young footballers who show raw talent at an early age.

They have National, state and regional rugby league training camps all over the country and develop these kids into fantastic footballers that progress into the national league or end up captaining or coaching sides throughout the country regions.

My son Andrew currently plays rugby league with two of his friends that have just received contracts from the Sydney Roosters, Josh Murray and Jack Littlejohn are names to remember for the future.

They are similar to other players that have made the move east from my old home town Wagga Wagga, names such as Peter Sterling, Steve Mortimer, Chris Mortimer and Les Boyd.

I am also talent scouting for three Australian clubs whilst in England.
The Atoms players have so far this year come along in leaps and bounds, their willingness to listen and try to learn as much as they can is really starting to show in the games that we are producing currently.

Coaching staff and spectators alike are starting to see huge improvements in some individual players, and other players are starting to see how their individual roles, their attitude and the way that they play can effect the results.

We have not quite progressed as far forward as I would have liked, not being able to spend individual time with players and working on the left and right hand side groups with attack and defence.

This is because of rotating players through injuries and non availability through work or family. Until I can settle on a regular 13 this hampers slightly our push forward into another level of coaching.

My expectations for the rest of the year with the Atoms is to finish on 16 points, this means we need to win another five games before the season is over. We have been very unlucky in four games this year and have only lost within seconds of the final whistle, this certainly could have changed our position.

I can be a hard task master and my training sessions can be deemed as very demanding but I believe that the more you put in, the more you get back in return. It is ingrained in my upbringing and my sporting background in Australia that the word 'second' should not even be in the English language.

With any contest you enter, you must give whatever you have in the tank and never leave anything on the pitch, it's those who come from the contest with trepidation that were not mentally switched on in the beginning.

I feel privileged to be allowed to coach a club that has battled the elements for 20 years in a non-rugby league area. I am excited about our prospects in the new year and will be introducing new levels of coaching to enhance individual and team results. We will also be setting individual and team goals for further development.

It's not everyday you arrive in a different country in the world and are accepted by 40 players and officials that you have never met before.The Heysham Atoms are a strong friendly club and the boys that play seem to have a lot in common, I hope that it is this type of friendship and strength that keeps us in good stead for the rest of the season.

Until next week, GO THE ATOMS,
Scott Saddler
Heysham Atoms head coach,
Welcome to England, Mitchell)