In one of the shortest first seasons in J8 history, we still managed to squeeze in a whole season’s worth of fun! The thrill of watching new players learn the skills required for their first year of rugby is exciting for both parents and us as coaches and we are so proud of the progress our kids have made in this short season.

Both our first practice and our first game were undertaken in dismal wet conditions, and yet our young players showed enthusiasm in taking part regardless of the weather. They were wet, cold and happy!

Week by week our young players built their skills around the game from spreading out across the field to ripping, and passing the ball when ripped. All we asked as coaches was that they have fun while they were at training and games, and they certainly delivered.

We only managed to get 5 games in this season, and we are pretty sure 4 of those were wet! Thank you to the parents and supporters who were out on the sideline each week cheering on the Cote, and reinforcing the importance of sportsmanship. Hopefully next season we can get in a full round of games and the players can enjoy another year of Rippa before moving on to tackle.

It has been our pleasure to coach J8 Black this year with their introduction to Northcote and Rugby, and we look forward to seeing everyone back next year.

L.T.C
Trudy and Glenn