UAE captain Adam Telford is determined to go out in a blaze of glory as he prepares for one final hurrah as a rugby player before hanging up the boots.
.@JebelAliDragons join managerial merry-go-round in search of new coach http://t.co/CCFY1LvW7B @uaerugby pic.twitter.com/04irTe7sDW
The Ulsterman wants to end his career on a high and is determined to do that with both his adopted nation and beloved Jebel Ali Dragons.
The 33-year-old missed the entire 2014/15 domestic rugby campaign after tearing his left bicep in Dragons’ first pre-season fixture against Abu Dhabi Saracens.
The campaign ended on a brigh-ter note as Telford captained the UAE on their end of season tour to Malaysia at the Asian Rugby Championships.
The UAE might have failed to bounce back to the second tier of Asian rugby at the first attempt following their relegation in 2014, but strides forward were made.
Roelof Kotze’s new-look side battered Thailand 53-22 in their opening Division II fixture in Kuala Lumpur in May before a narrow 20-19 defeat to the hosts.
That effectively ended their chances of promotion but they finished on a high with a 16-12 triumph against Chinese Taipei to get people talking positively again about the national side. Telford is looking to maintain those good vibes.
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“I’m 35 next October (2016) and I’d always set that as a benchmark to finish my career,” said the number eight, who recently became a father for the second time.
“I’ve got family commitments so this will probably be my last year at this level, but I want to finish on a high with both the UAE and Dragons.
“Those are the two aims I’m setting, it would be a great way to finish my rugby career if I could achieve those two. The UAE have turned a corner but the Dragons have turned the other way so it would be great to turn the tide for them.”
While his season-ending injury hurt, even more painful for Telford was watching his club’s drastic demise from the sidelines, which included new force Sarries usurping them as West Asia Cup winners. Dragons went from being back-to-back treble winners to losing 11 competitive games and winning just eight.
Not only were they shorn of the successive UAE Premiership, West Asia Cup and Dubai Sevens Gulf Men’s League titles they won in 2012/13 and 2013/14, they were ruthlessly ravaged, the rest of the UAE clubs picking at their bones.
Abu Dhabi Saracens vs Jebel Ali Dragons UAE Prem: http://t.co/K9f8SB8xaV via @YouTube
— Gameday (@ADSaracens) March 14, 2015
“It was a disappointing season as we weren’t in the mix and the end, which was hard to take after nearly three years of dominance,” said the man from Belfast.
“We’d been so used to going out and winning and not being too worried about other teams. We had to go from that winning culture to going into games not expecting to win and some boys feeling like underdogs.
“That was an alien feeling, I’d never had that feeling as a Dragon before. It was tough to watch last season, so that’s part of the reason why I’m determined to get back, I want to get Dragons back to where they belong.”
