Anthony Murray has been handed the job of guiding Workington Town on their return to League One after a disappointing season in the Championship.
I caught up with Anthony this week and asked him about his career and his hopes for Town in 2023.
Can you tell me how you started in rugby league and how you worked through the amateur ranks to make it as a professional?
I started at Leigh juniors, which is now known as Leigh East. I played for England Schoolboys and Leigh town team before signing for Wigan at 16.
I then played professionally for various clubs for the next 14 years until going back into the community game at Leigh Miners before taking player coaching roles at Eccles and Millom until I was 36.
You played for a few clubs. What are your favourite memories of those days as a professional player and any down moments?
Playing for my home team Leigh Centurions, alongside most of my lifelong friends was brilliant.
Playing at Hilton Park in front of people I went to school with and a lot of my family especially my Grandad was extra special.
Part of that career was at Workington. What do you remember of the coach, the playing squad and the fans from that short time at Derwent Park?
Billy McGinty was the coach and a good one who was very much a players’ player type of coach,
Gary Charlton, Shaun Boylon , Hitro Okesene, Gus Fraser and Matty Johnson were there, just to name a few.
The fans where very welcoming and even on my return to Workington as the coach of Crusaders the fans still remembered me playing and always welcomed me back with smile.
I just remember it being a good time in my rugby career.
You moved into coaching and have you modelled your style on any of the coaches you played under or are you very much your own man?
I played under many good coaches and I have just tried to take all the positives I remember from those coaches and put that into my own approach.
I have been very lucky in my time as a coach always having good guidance and support from other coaches I know and people I have worked with to bounce ideas off.
You did a great job at North Wales Crusaders, turning them into a competitive outfit. Why did you decide to leave to take on a new challenge at Workington?
Yes I loved my time at Crusaders and the staff I worked with and over the years the players helped me turn the team into a very competitive one.
It was just the right time for me to move on and find a new challenge.
Workington is a massive club with lots of history and tradition behind it and it’s a brilliant opportunity for me to coach at this great club alongside the staff and all involved.
You’ve had a short time to get your feet under the table at Town. What do you feel about the squad you have put together so far and how near competition is it?
I am very excited and optimistic about the squad. It’s largely a Cumbrian based team which is what I wanted to do.
The local area has a wealth of teams playing a good level and a host of talent on the doorstep.
Looking at the make-up of League One which teams do you rate highest and what is your immediate target for Town?
League One will be very competitive again this year especially with the likes of Dewsbury , Doncaster, Oldham, Hunslet, North Wales and Rochdale all recruiting well and wanting to make the play Offs.
Our squad has a lot of new faces. The aim is just to get back to working hard and trying to be as competitive as we can each week and keep improving game by game.
Looking at the IMG proposals we have heard so far, how optimistic are you for Town in particular and the game in general? Is it going to be a good partnership?
The game just needs to keep growing in the lower professional teams and community clubs.
Can you tell us your pre-season programme as far as training and warm-up games are concerned?
Pre-season is well under way as we have been in since November 12 and the team is training hard. A good team spirt is starting to develop.
We will have two warm-up games, the Ike Southward Memorial match with Haven on January 15 and a trip to Barrow on January 22.
Finally, with best wishes for the season ahead, what would you say to the fans about the qualities they can expect to see from your team?
Hopefully the fans will see a team that will work hard for each other and be proud to pull on the Workington jersey and play the game with a smile.
