PWR Press Conference: Barney Maddison and Kate Zackary

Ahead of Round Five of the PWR where Trailfinders host Saracens, Head Coach Barney Maddison and Club Captain Kate Zackary spoke to the media in a press conference. 

After Red Rose and former Trailfinder Abby Dow announced her retirement on Wednesday 26 November, the media asked about her impact at the Club. 

In response, Kate Zackary said: 

“I really enjoyed having the opportunity to play alongside Abby when I moved to Ealing. Prior to that, I had played against her as with rugby, everyone runs in similar circles. 

“I enjoyed getting to know her and how funny she was. She brought a lot of positivity and energy to the team. 

“She was a great finisher but also put extra hours working on her kicking game, which was a part of her game that became a huge threat. 

“She knew how to put a smile on your face whether you were having a good or bad day.” 

When asked about this weekend’s fixture against Saracens, Barney Maddison said: 

“It should be a great game. We’ve never beaten Saracens before. So we’re really looking forward to it. We’ve had a couple of good results. It’ll be a really tough game.

“They’ve got a quality team and squad so that’ll be a tough battle on Saturday.”

Zackary added: 

“It’ll be a really good matchup for the back row. I’m biased here but I think we’ve got a really great back row. I think it’ll be a really big fight. The set piece is going to be huge and the kicking game as well. It’s part game that Saracens don’t shy away from, but it’s part of the game that we don’t shy away from either.

“We’ve got people like Julia Schell and Meg Jones who have got a boot on them, and Claire Gallagher. There will be a lot of dynamic play from both teams, which I think will be quite exciting.”