On the back of a preseason tour of Japan and some impressive trial form, Waverley assistant coach Lachlan Drew-Morris is confident his side is in good shape heading into round one against Cranbrook this weekend.

Overview with Lachlan Drew-Morris: 

“Things are looking good ahead of round one. We’ve had a busy and eventful preseason with our tour to Japan and off the back of that, we think we’ve produced some good performances in our trials which should put us in good stead for the season,” assistant coach Drew-Morris told Rugby News. 

“We’ve played a lot of rugby though and we’ve had a few injuries as a result of that, but we’re confident that we’ll be back to full strength in the next few weeks. 

“Japan was amazing. Obviously it’s such an amazing country and it was a great opportunity for the boys to see how other people live and to also see the game that they love played in a pretty different environment. 

“The Japanese are very structured and that extends to their rugby, in both their attitudes to training and in their playing styles. 

“Then we got to explore some incredible cities in Tokyo and Kyoto. It was pretty different to the Eastern Suburbs, the Sutherland Shire or the inner west where most of our boys come from, so it was a great experience for them.  

“It’s always hard to read too much into trials. We’ve been focussed less on our results and more on our performances each week. It’s been challenging because we’ve had players coming in and out each week, but I do think we’ve been building nicely towards round one.”

2023 Squad: 

“We’ve got a few guys that played last year, a few guys up from playing 2s last year and then we’ve got quite a few boys coming into the first XV from our 16As from last season. 

“They’ve gone quite well through under-age rugby and we’re excited to see what some of those boys can do this year. 

“We’ve got a good balance I think and there are a lot of boys ready to rip in when we give them the chance.”

What style of rugby can we expect from Waverley this season? 

“Most people know that our style of rugby is based around effort and that won’t change this year. We want to work really hard for one another and be a strong side defensively. 

“If you can hold teams out and limit their scoring, then you typically find yourself in most games, so effort in defence is key. 

“We’ve got our non-negotiables and they never change. I always like to think that your effort in attack comes from your effort in defence. If you put in for each other in defence and make your tackles, then opportunities present themselves when you’ve got the ball.” 

Which sides pose the biggest threats this season?  

“It’s looking like it’s going to be a really competitive season,” Drew-Morris said. 

“I think all schools treat trials differently so it’s always dangerous to look too much into trial form, but it’s going to be a very open comp and every team will have the ability to win on their day. 

“I think the key is to be consistent across the five rounds and the team that is most consistent will most likely win the premiership. 

“We start with a local derby against Cranbrook and that’s always a big match. We get a lot of buy in from the old boys from both schools and I feel like they’re always played in a really good fashion, so we’re really looking forward to Queen’s Park this Saturday.”