Three years ago, John Mahon arrived on the scene at Warley as a brand new head coach. He was no newbie however, his vast wealth of experience and the years he had dedicated to coaching became an invaluable asset to the team throughout his three seasons coaching at the club.

From day one he was tough and demanded improved fitness from the men’s team. Furthermore, he achieved that fitness and it shone through in Warley’s performances on the pitch. With massive numbers at Tuesday training, Thursday night was originally arranged to be forwards specific training in addition to Tuesday's sessions. However the Warley backs asked John for their own training time as well so he began to take Warley training sessions on both Tuesday and Thursday to excellent numbers each week. All of John’s hard work and the commitment and dedication that the team showed him finally paid off during John’s second season: Warley’s 1st men’s team was promoted in their league. In his third and final season, Warley’s 2nd men’s team was promoted as well.

During his time at the club, John was a key member of Warley life and his absence (and the absence of his rugby stories) will be felt by everyone. Club chairman Dick Timmons said, "John Mahon has headed up coaching for the last 3 seasons at Warley. His attention to detail is incredible and I have watched his hard work at close hand. John took over when the club had suffered a slump in its fortunes. Through his hard work and direction he gained the club promotion in his second season. Unfortunately as a club we could not sustain that gain. John is one of life’s characters and it was one the hardest conversations I have had in parting with his company. It has been an exciting three years but now we must move on to face the challenges of the new season. I am sure all of Warley RFC will join me in wishing John the very best for his future."

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