This has been a great season for J5 Black. Lovely to have the boys back after a break over summer, refreshed and ready to get into some solid rugby.

The first few weeks of the season saw us revisiting some of the basics, but it was heartening to see that some of the skills from the prior year had stuck. It quickly became clear the test would be to keep the team challenged and introduce new drills and skills to further enhance the base set in the previous season. I’m constantly amazed at the way the team can handle any task set and own it.

With valuable assistance from Lachlan, our assistant coach, a fair bit of time has been spent at training working through core concepts such as cleaning out and blowing over in order to gain valuable ground for the team during a game. The boys also had fun experimenting with some backline moves, often coming up with their own on the fly. The team have worked really hard this season and the scores reflect their efforts. I’m really proud of their on-field and off-field sportsmanship toward each other and toward other teams, often subbing in for the opposition when needed.

As always, a team is not an island. A huge amount of thanks must go to the parents who have supported us at every step. 2016 will be a huge season as we move to full field, 15 aside team play – bring it!