Brisbane Grammar coach Phil Mooney said he’s hopeful a squad mixed with youth and experience will have what it takes to challenge the big guns of GPS Rugby this season.

Grammar travel to Southport to face TSS on Saturday and will look to build on some promising form through the trials.

Overview with Phil Mooney:

“We’re reasonably happy with where we’re at ahead of round one this weekend, we play Southport at Southport and that’s a great way to start the year,” Mooney told Rugby News.

“We had our rugby camp last week and that was really positive. From a wider program perspective, it was great to see the young under 11 boys get their first taste of things. Our first XV also had a really productive few days.

“Our trial form has been okay. Like most sides at this time of the year, there are some things that we’re doing well and some things that we need to improve on but I certainly think we’re heading in the right direction.

“We were also able to give lots of boys an opportunity to play their way into the first XV through the trials and that’s something that’s really positive for the overall program.”

What style of rugby can we expect to see from your side this year? 

“We want to be solid at set piece time, that’s pretty crucial for all rugby teams I suppose but we’ve definitely focused on being solid up front.

“Outside of that, we’ll look to use the ball and take the space in front of us, then in defence we’ll try  and minimise the space we give them.”

2021 Squad: 

“We haven’t named our team for this weekend yet so I can’t tell you exactly how many boys we’ve got returning from last year,” Mooney said.

“Our captain and vice captain Campbell Watchirs and Sieg Mackellar are both returning and they’ll add plenty of experience. One plays in the midfield and the other in the backrow, so it’s great to have those guys in key positions.

“We’ve also got some exciting young guys pushing into first XV so it’ll be great to see them get a taste of things this year.”

Bold prediction for the season ahead:

“It’s going to be a really tight competition this year and I think most teams will be able to beat anyone on their day.

“We’ve tried to focus solely on TSS in round one and on putting a performance on the field that we can be proud of.”