After the longest preseason of all time, the opening round of the 2020 Premier Rugby season is almost upon us and what a season it is shaping up to be.

Ahead of round one we spoke to all nine Premier Rugby clubs, as we’ll continue to do throughout the season, to get the inside word on their preparations for the season ahead.

From the most annoying player in lockdown, to what it takes to win a Hospital Cup and everything in between, we asked each of the nine Premier Rugby coaches 10 burning questions to help get you ready and excited for opening kick off.

Today, we chat to Easts’ coach Moses Raulini.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of the past few months?

Staying connected to the boys with training during lockdown was tough. We had a big pre-season from November, then started well in the trials before the start of the season was postponed, so that was unusual. But planning has been tough for every club this year and I think everyone just wants to play some footy.

Which player bugged you the most during lockdown? 

They didn’t bother me too much, except Puketowa Garland heat posting Tiktok dances on out WhatsApp group. Maybe it will help his footwork this year.

What parts of your game are you happy with heading into round one? 

I’m really happy with the leaders at the club. When you have the likes of Ben Mowen, Aidan Touia, Eli Pilz, Phoenix Hunt, Tom Milosevic, Michael Gunn and Richie Asiate running the boys around the park, it will makes things pretty easy for the coaches to put together game plans. The energy at training since the break has also been outstanding.

Where do you think you need to improve from last season? 

We have picked up a few specialist finishers in the backs like Mika Tela (Souths), Jayden Carroll (Norths), Aidan Toua (Brothers) and Dylan Taikato (USA). I think that  will really help take pressure off a guy like Jack Frampton. We lacked a lot of speed last year due to injuries and retirement. So to have a bit of speed this year it will help us improve from last year. Our forwards have been doing very well under Simon Craig so hopefully they can give the backs some good ball again this season.

If you could take one part of another Premier Rugby team’s game and add it to yours, what would it be? 

University’s finals experience. They taught us a good lesson in lifting for the big games and hammered us in all aspects last year in the finals. Finals footy is a totally different intensity to the round games so hopefully we can learn from last year if we get there again.

Which players from your club are you most looking forward to watching this season?

Ben Mowen, Aidan Toua, Jayden Carroll, Dylan Taikato, Michael Gunn, Eli Pilz, Rhys Van Nek, Fred Fewtrell, Zac Crothers, George Francis and Phoenix Hunt.

Outside of your club, who is the most dominant player in the competition? 

Matt Feassler from Brothers is a great player with plenty of skills and speed. He’s a real competitor.

What is the key to winning a Hospital Cup premiership?

Patience in defence his key. You’ve also got to get to the right parts of the field and then be accurate and disciplined when you get there.

Which teams will be the big improvers this season? 

All of them. Most clubs would have picked up players from COVID so every game will be a mini grand final in a one round competition. Norths have been a bit of a bogey side for us over the past few years so we will need to get our mentality right when we come up against them.

Who will you play in this year’s grand final and why?

Brothers have good depth in all grades which is really important and every team loves to hate them, a bit like NSW. But UQ are the bench mark for every club at the moment. They are well coached by Mick Heenan and always seem to be there at the end of the year, even after starting the season poorly last year.