Heading into the playoffs, Randwick had lost just three of their past 12 matches and appeared to be on track for a finals assault. But two tight losses against both eventual grand finalists saw the Wicks’ season end abruptly.

Departing coach Ben McCormack, who is returning to Brisbane ahead of the birth of his first child, is still coming to terms with his side’s premature exit, but seems confident the famous club is well placed to return to the top of the competition in the years ahead.

Overview with Ben McCormack: 

“It was a bitterly disappointing end to the season to be honest,” McCormack told Rugby News. 

“We lost a semi final to Sydney Uni by two points, then lost to Gordon a week later by one point and we were definitely in a position to win both those games. It was a really disappointing end. 

“We were leading against Gordon into the 79th minute, then against Uni, I think we were the better side for most of the game but we just weren’t able to get the result. 

“To drop out of the competition like that when we thought we were a genuine chance to win the competition, it really hurt. 

“At the end of the day, I don’t think our set piece provided us with as many opportunities as it should have. You really need that part of your game at the business end of the competition but we were fairly consistently under pressure. 

“Against Uni, we gave away scrum penalty after scrum penalty and Uni just kept opting for more scrums. It was a tale of two styles of rugby and I think if we had done a little better at set piece time, we would have given ourselves a better chance to win.”

“We are a side that thrives on fast, front foot ball and if you’re not winning the set piece and controlling the ruck speed, it’s very hard to get that. 

“When we got quick ball in the first few phases, we were very hard to stop but we just weren’t able to get enough of it at times during the finals.

“We’re aware that we typically have a younger playing group compared to other clubs and we know that a lot of our players want to move on to professional opportunities.

“Our depth and the technical capabilities in our front row has grown a lot in recent years but we probably still lack the durability that other clubs have in that area. 

“At the start of the year, we did a lot of good work through our scrum schools and we made a lot of gains. But as the year went on, we had a few injuries up front, then when all the aches and pains of the season start to kick in, it does make it harder to try to make improvements throughout the season. 

“You also can’t build depth and quality in the front row in one year. We’re not going to go out and buy three older, bigger front rowers, that’s not what we do. 

“We want to develop our young players and we’ve got a lot of exciting young props coming through that will develop into really quality footballers. It’s just going to take a bit of time.”

What needs to happen at the club between now and round one next year? 

“Not a lot to be honest. I think we’ve got a good recipe at the club. All the major components of the program are there.

“We just need to tweak things to try and get 5% more out of each part of our game. 

“I do think we need to look at our lineout and maul set up and potentially put in a bit more work there. 

“It’s only tweaks though because the program is in excellent shape. Looking at who we have coming into colts and some of the players moving from colts to grade, I think Randwick will continue to be very competitive.”

Which of your players do you expect to go on to bigger things from next season?

“There are quite a few to be honest. Nick Chan, Dan O’Brien, Christian Poidevin, Benny Houston,” McCormack said. 

“I think Yass (Christian Yassmin) is capable of playing professional footy as well.

“There’s always timing and an element of luck when it comes to professional footy but I think if those boys continue to work their asses off, they’ll certainly make the most of any opportunities that come.”

What can we expect in 2023 from your club and the competition? 

“The competition gets better every year, everyone can see that,” the departing coach said. 

“There are quite a few coaching changes across the competition so it will be interesting to see how that impacts different clubs. That will create a bit of unknown because every new coach typically brings some fresh ideas to their club. 

“I think Randwick is in a fortunate position because the club has had the same DNA forever and I don’t think that will ever change, which is great for the game. 

“I’m still not sure who will be coaching first grade next year but I’m hoping they can find a way to squeeze an extra few per cent out of the players because we’re not far off as a group. 

“But you can safely assume that you’ll see the same entertaining brand of rugby from Randwick next season.”