44 WILTSHIRE LIFE Awards 2018
Interview with Cadan Murley
We caught up with Cadan fresh from a
training session to discuss what has been a
breakthrough year following his award for
Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2017.
How did it feel to be nominated?
To be honest it came as quite a surprise.
I looked up some of the previous winners
and saw that Brian Ashton former Ireland
and England men’s senior rugby coach had
won it, and so obviously, it was an honour. I
am doing what I love and enjoying it, so to
be nominated was a complete a surprise, let
alone winning it.
Did you think that this could be the start of
something bigger?
I hoped so. I had played for England U18s,
but I hadn’t heard from Harlequins, so I was
hoping to push on and stay as positive as I
could, no matter what happened. I was in my
last year at Bishop Wordsworth’s School and
we had the NatWest Cup final at Twickenham
the following week to look forward to.
Tell us about your progress at Harlequins?
I had joined the development programme
when I was 16, and played in the academy
league until I was 18, and it was in the
June that I was offered my first professional
contract. Ultimately, the end goal is to play
week in, week out for the club. As a member
of the academy it was all about personal
development and individual skillsets –
improving the basics of your
game, and using the older
players and internationals, to
help you make improvements.
My first training session
with the men’s team was
a bit daunting, but you
get used to it and you
start asking questions
and learning from
them. The back three
are all really helpful,
they take you under
their wing, but
everyone at the club
is really friendly. You’re going in
there straight out of school, and
you are with players who have been
professionals for over 10 years,
but they are all looking to the
future of the club.
How did you prepare for
your senior debut?
Training is all about preparation
for your debut, so if you are called
upon, you are ready. When the team
sheet went up and I saw my name on it…
you switch into the ‘zone’ and you start to
prepare mentally to step out in front of 10,000
fans at The Stoop. It is quite daunting, but
then to do it for the first time was awesome. I
don’t think that feeling ever changes.
How do you cope with nerves?
I just think to myself, you have been selected
for a reason, the coaches back you and think
you are good enough. I want to go out there
and express myself, show what I can do and
leave everything out there, because that is all
you can do.
You recently made your England U20s
debut. What was it like?
Yes, I had played for the U18s
in South Africa, so that is
what I was pushing for,
but unfortunately, I was
out for a while with an
injury. So, I was trying to
put in performances for my loan club,
Esher, putting my hand up for selection,
and fortunately I got an email a couple
of weeks before the Scotland game
asking me to come up and train with
the team, which led to my debut.
How do you cope with setbacks, for
example, being out injured?
You are told from the start that injuries
are going to happen, that it is part
and parcel of the modern game. As
the club told me, you have to look
at an injury in a positive light,
seeing it as a chance to improve
other aspects of your game,
Young Sports
Personality
2017
working in the gym or on static skills,
analysing other games. Everyone encourages
you and you get through it and become a
better player because of it.
What are your ambitions moving forward?
You have the long-term goal of wanting to play
for your country at the highest level, but you
also have short-term goals in order to achieve
that, such as performance goals (skills, reading
of the game), and outcome goals (national
age groups and winning A league games). I’ve
achieved one of my goals in making my debut
for the U20s, and I would like to go to the
U20 World Cup in May.
Who do you look to for inspiration?
Like many other young rugby players, Jonny
Wilkinson – he encapsulated all that a young
rugby player aspires to be. He was physical
on the pitch but he was always respectful and
well-mannered off the pitch. Muhammad
Ali was another, he would always bring an
element of humour and would always talk
sense. My mum and dad, without them I
wouldn’t have got to where I am.
What about life post-rugby?
Definitely, there is a big focus on education
to get set for life after rugby because it is only
a career for maybe 10 years. Next year, I hope
to start an Open University course on sports
science and business management.
Any advice for this year’s winner?
Keep striving to be the best you can be, keep
setting goals and trying to fulfil them and
hopefully you can inspire others as well.