Joeys couldn’t catch a break in 2023, drawing their opening two matches, then falling just short in three tight matches that followed.

But first XV coach Greg Thompson said he was proud of his side’s resilience last year which helped them win three of their final five matches.Four players will return from last season when Joeys travel to play Newington in round one on Saturday May 18.

Overview with Greg Thompson:

“We ended up with a week longer than usual to prepare this year because Easter and the Head of the River was early, so that has helped. I think we’re in a good spot,” Thompson told Rugby News. 

“We’ve adjusted the way we’ve played this year compared to previous seasons. In 2018, we looked at how rugby was being played in New Zealand and created the system we played with on the back of what we saw over there. But after watching a lot of rugby during last year’s World Cup, we’ve changed that. 

“We want quicker ruck ball, that seems to be the way the game is going these days so we’ve adjusted a few things to help with that. 

“We’ve also got some big forwards coming back from last year and that’s a little different to a traditional Joeys team which has tended to be a bit smaller than others. 

“These days, wingers are often a lot bigger than they used to be, so we’ll look to use our size out wide as well. 

“We’ve been going okay through the trials. We lost to Barker but then had a good win against Knox on the weekend. 

“We’re performing well, but avoiding injuries will be key, as it always is in a 10 round competition. 

“We headed up to Tamworth for four or five days and got some beautiful weather up there. We took three teams up and treated it as a selection camp. 

“We looked to implement our new system, then we played a few games against each other and got through that without any major injuries.

“Last year, we just didn’t take our moments in matches in the first round. We were in the fight in every game but just couldn’t seem to get over the line in those crucial moments. 

“The first round was pretty disheartening for the boys last year but it was great to see them bounce back and perform well in the second round, apart from a few games at the end. 

“Kings were just too good last year. They had a strong team and they kept them fit and healthy, whereas we had a few injuries that hurt us. 

“It was probably a tighter season than the ladder suggests. Kings had a few tight games and drew one, but they were just too good in the end.”

What style of rugby will we see from Joeys this season? 

“In the past, we attacked with two pods of forwards but with the amount of footage available these days and the level of coaching at the other schools, they figured that out and defended us quite well. 

“They defended in packs in front of our pods and we ended up just running into their defence. 

“This year, we’re looking to create a few more one-on-one opportunities. 

“Traditionally, Joeys boys have also spent a lot of their free time playing touch footy so we want to try and utilise that and play a bit more ad-lib rugby where we aren’t too structured.”

2024 Squad: 

“We’ve got one back and three forwards back from last season. Johannes Logan, Justice Taumoepeau, who is still only 16 but in year 11 now, and Arthur Greer. In the backs, Ethan Tombs is back as well. 

“We also won the 2nd XV comp last year and a lot of those boys were in year 11 last year, so a lot of those boys will be pushing up to form a strong squad.”

What are you expecting from the season ahead?

“In my experience, if you’ve got players who have played three seasons in the first XV, then you can build a strong team around those guys,” Thompson said. 

“I know a couple of other schools have a few players like that and in my time at Joeys, whenever we’ve had experienced players returning, we’ve done well. 

“There are a few other schools with guys returning for their third year, so they’ll present a big challenge but I think we’re up for it. 

“It’s going to be a tight comp and it will probably come down to staying fit and healthy and then getting the bounce of the ball in tight games.”