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 GPS coach Elwee Prinsloo.

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

It was tough to maintain the social bonds that the players have. Obviously players play for different reason but the social aspect of it in terms of their sense of belonging was important to maintain through some innovate ways. This obviously drove their mental health which was most important for us through a tough time. Although it was challenging, we felt the boys did a great job in this area.

Which player bugged you the most during lockdown? 

I love footy and I love my footy boys. I probably bugged them a lot more than the other way around to be honest.

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

I feel like we have good clarity in the way we want to play. The ongoing challenge will be how we transfer our understanding into good performances and wins.

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

There’s always room for improvement in all areas of your game but a focus for us was to ensure we have a bigger group with more clarity around our processes and the way we want to approach our footy.

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

UQ’s speed. They play a very up tempo game that’s driven by high levels of conditioning. This is certainly a point of difference for the Students.

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

Some of the young guns coming through like Emosi Tuqiri, John Downs and Cullin Cooper-Jones. They’ve been working really hard to improve and the way they’ve applied themselves physically in our sessions has been impressive.

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

There’s a fair few good players around especially this season with a number of pro players back in town. It’s hard to go past Harry Wilson but as a non-contracted player I would say (UQ skipper) Sam Wallace is extremely influential to the success of his team. He is a tough competitor with a great skill set to play anywhere in the backrow.

What is the key to winning a Hospital Cup premiership?

In previous years I reckon depth was key but this year with a shorter competition I feel like a fast start and smart management of your S&C program, they will both be really important. The teams that came out of the COVID period in a good shape will benefit from that massively. Depth obviously also plays a role here as some clubs are in a good position to replace a quality player with another quality player but others might not be so fortunate.

Which teams will be the big improvers this season?

I reckon it will be a high level competition this season. Easts have been flying under the radar a bit and on paper should surely be the favourites. UQ and Brothers will always be up there but I feel like Wests is a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment. With a new coach that’s been very successful before and a strong recruitment drive I reckon they would be a solid prospect.

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

If we were fortunate enough to make it to that part of the season it’s hard to go past Brothers with 10 contracted players if they all play however UQ is always a very well coached outfit and knows how to win important games.