Well as we have wound up Junior rugby for another year we have 21 players that have played their final game for Northcote Juniors, when you reflect on how long some of these juniors have been at the club I don't think it will sink in for them that they are no longer going to be a part of junior rugby, friendships they have built up over numerous years will last but playing together for years will change how much they see each other with them all moving to different High Schools.

This season was a successful one for the team with 10 wins and 4 losses, having a team of mostly forwards meant the backs could play the same combinations week by week while the forwards didn't get the same game time that they would have liked but with injuries, it made for an interesting juggle of filling the backline some weeks.  I think the biggest hurdle some of the boys needed to overcome was the size difference J1 poses.  With it being open weight there were some big units running around which takes some getting used to but the team found their feet to post some really good results which they can be proud of.

The team gelled very well considering they were a mix of 3 teams combining but they managed to pull it together. It will take a bit of getting used to not coaching next year as the past 8 years have flown by but I am looking forward to the spare time.

Finally, I would like to thank the parents for their commitment through the season and the previous years and to Robbo, Jamie and Solly for helping me coach the team and lastly the players for making the last year of Juniors an enjoyable experience.

I wish them luck in their future and hopefully see them back at Cote in a few years.

Cheers Kooz

Winners of the Coca Cola Cup with 500 points.