2023 marks 6 years of coaching this team for me. Having seen a number of faces come and go over the years and with the redistribution of players at the start of the season, we went into a rebuilding phase. With 9 returning players from 2022 we were joined by 6 newbies to the team. Straight out of the gate, we went to setting the foundation of the team through our mantra of playing for one another while having fun. And that is what we had.

I was joined by two dads to join me on the journey with the lads in coaching roles this year. Chase and Jase brought their skills from their playing days and their coaching styles. We have taken this team from losing every game in 2022 to winning over 50% of their games in 2023. The few close losses could easily have gone the other way with a few more players at those games. We added Jimmy in as our strength and conditioning coach along with our referee, Glenn we managed to take this rag-tag bunch of kids who, every week, managed to find ways to keep us on our feet.

The team played for each other alright, championing the celebration of tries, picking each other up after a big hit, and supporting each other when the call or try didn’t go their way.

They are what keeps me excited about coaching, their thirst for learning, the desire to grow and their abilities. Not one is the same, which is what made them a great team to coach.

I look forward to being back in 2024 with the lads and the coaching make up to make the transition to 15-aside. It’s been a pleasure to coach these lads and see them grow over the years.