After starting the 2017 season with just one win from their first five matches, West Harbour found their groove towards the end of the season and fell just short of a long awaited finals berth, after winning their final seven matches.

Star playmaker and Catchpole Medal winner Tayler Adams’ form was good enough to earn him Super Rugby contract but coach Todd Louden seems to have found a more than adequate replacement, who will lead a fitter, tougher and stronger Pirates outfit around Concord Oval this year.

Overview with Todd Louden:

“It’s been good and really challenging, particularly for the players because we’ve had a big pre season with a big focus on conditioning. The spine of the team has obviously changed a little with Tayler Adams heading to Melbourne to join the Rebels, so we’ve had to update things in that regard,” Louden told Rugby News.

“We learnt a lot from last season, I think as a club we all know what it takes to be successful now. We obviously started the season very slowly and that was a missed opportunity but I think all the players learnt from that and it gives us that drive to be better this year.

“There is definitely a positive feeling across the entire club, which is really nice to see. A lot of the boys have worked harder than they’ve ever worked before. Obviously with Tayler moving on and a few new guys coming to the club, it feels like a bit of a new era at the club and I think everyone is just really looking forward to the start of the season.

“Preseason has been brutal to be perfectly honest. I think I’m one of the most hated coaches in rugby at the moment. We’ve been quite specific in the way we conditioned our players this year so it’ll be interesting to see if that holds up and sets us apart.

“We’ve implemented a professional program based on the type of players that we’ve got. We haven’t wanted them to spend all summer running long distances, we’ve focused more on speed and repeat efforts. I wouldn’t say it’s a gamble, but we’ve taken a different road than the typical conditioning model and we’ve spent a lot more time in the gym as well.

“I know there is a perception that West Harbour is an ill disciplined club but the word discipline can be attributed to a lot of different things. For us, I don’t think it’s in terms of foul play, but more so in terms of our game plan, finishing off halves. The conditioning side of things have certainly targeted our resilience.

“From a physical perspective, we’re a long way ahead of where we were at this point last year. I won’t say we are where we need to be, I think I always want to be a little bit further down the track but we’re in a comfortable position for this time of the year.

We’ve picked up a flyhalf named Sam Malcolm and he looks very good. He came through the system in New Zealand and is very similar to Tayler. He was a bit of a bolter and played NZ Schools and NZ 20s. He’s spent the last few years at Manawatu but as a 9/10, he just couldn’t crack it over there. He’s not a real big guy but he’s got great foot speed and can kick the ball a long way.

“Numbers in grade are really good. We’re struggling a little bit in colts but by the sound of things, most clubs are. In grade we’ve got lots of numbers and a lot of competitive numbers, guys are really competing and that is nice to see.”

2017 result: 8th (10 wins, 8 losses)

Ins: Sam Malcolm (Manawatu), David Lolohea (Parramatta), Shane Anderson (New Zealand), Phil Potgieter (UQ)

Outs: Taylor Adams (Melbourne Rebels)

Key areas of improvement:

“Defence is the area we’ve worked most on and hopefully we see some pay, well it’s probably going to take us a little bit but I think it will come,” Louden continued.

“I’d hope our set piece, both in the forwards and backs, improves as well.

“At the end of the day, the main thing for is ensuring that we know who we are and how we play.”

Player(s) to watch:

“Phil Potgieter was playing for UQ up in Brisbane and he played with QLD Country in the NRC last year. He’s just a work horse and has a great engine. He’s one for the rugby purist, he doesn’t do anything flashy but he just works away.

“The other one is Kodi Hawkins, he’s had a very good preseason. We’ve added him to the leadership group this year, his conditioning is fantastic and it looks like he’s picked up a yard or two of speed. He’s also very composed so I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

Hopes and expectations for the season:

“There are obviously a lot of expectations around us and on ourselves. It’s hard to say but we really want to improve on last year. We don’t want to make the same mistakes we made last year. I think it’s going to be an even tighter competition than last year. In terms of performance, if we can do better than we did last year, we’ll be happy because we want to see gradual improvement. With the current state of the competition, we’re not going to become the finished product in one year, it’s going to take time.

“If we can improve on last year, then we should be in finals contention but you’ve got to look at what is around you and I think the competition is going to be as tough as they come.

“Everyone is going to have high expectations of us based on how we finished last year but I suspect it’s going to be a lot harder.

“I think if we made the finals last year, we would have given it a good crack. The thing is though, that was last year. Without sounding too cliche, any side is a chance to win it once they make the finals, particularly in a competition as tight as this.”

Who will West Harbour play in the grand final? 

“Souths would be my favourite. Based on the draw, based on their quality squad. It’s hard to look past them,” Louden said.

“They’ve got players that have been at the club for quite a while now and if you look at Warringah last year, they had quite a few guys that had been there for a while and they formed the nucleus of that winning side.

“Obviously Warringah will be there, but Souths are primed for 2018 in my eyes and they’ve got a very favourable draw as well.”