Wests came agonisingly close to claiming back to back Hospital Cup premierships last year, falling just short against Brothers in the decider.

Head coach Elwee Prinsloo has lost a number of key players from last year’s squad, but seems confident he’s recruited and retained enough talent to keep the Bulldogs in the fight this season.

Overview with Elwee Prinsloo:

“Preseason is always good because you haven’t lost a game yet. But I think we’ve had a good summer,” Prinsloo joked.  

“We had a pretty high turnover of players so we’ve had to do a fair bit of recruitment and it is always a positive when you add new blood and new energy to a group. 

“I’m a pretty intense person, so two or three years with me is probably enough for most players. 

“Everyone has been ripping in but the most important part of our preseason has been finding cohesion and connection within this new group. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over that grand final loss to be honest. It was a tough way to end the year but there’s no doubt that Brothers were deserving winners.

“We put ourselves in a position to win that game and we weren’t able to nail it at the end, which was disappointing. 

“We were able to put ourselves in the position to be in a grand final though and potentially win a premiership, so it was still a good season. 

“I’ve been having a laugh talking with our captain Conor Anderson, because we think very similarly, that we hate losing more than we like winning and I think that’s true. 

“It’s a new year now though and we’ve got a new opportunity this season that we are all really looking forward to. 

“We also had a lot of players move on to play professional rugby and outside of winning premierships, that’s how we judge the success of our program. 

2024: Grand finalists (lost to Brothers 26-24)

Ins: Victor Olaaiga (New Zealand), Henry Speight (France), Mosese Dawai (Highlanders). 

Outs: Timma Faingaanuku (Melbourne Rebels), Ethan Dobbins (Melbourne Rebels), Liam Usher (Sydney), Cooper Whiteside (Sydney), Keynan Tauakipulu (Canberra), Cullen Cooper-Jones (Canberra), Ben Navosailagi (UK), Vilikesa Raboiliku (Souths).

Why style of rugby will we see from Wests this year?

“Last year we scored 95 tries in the regular season which was the highest for a very long time,” the coach said proudly.  

“There’s no doubt that we’re a team that can score tries but our focus this year is on our defensive efforts.  

“We didn’t defend well enough last year and that’s been a big focus. It’s not just about how we defend but also about our character. I thought last year we lost a little bit of our bullying factor so I just think we need to get a little bit of that back and defence is the best way to do that.” 

Player(s) to watch:

“Moses Sorovi is with us full time at the moment because he isn’t signed anywhere professionally. He’s spent the last seven or eight years playing Super Rugby and that sort of experience is invaluable to our program. 

“He’s been fantastic with our younger guys and all the players at the club. He was working with the halfbacks we’ve got in colts recently, which was really beneficial. 

“We’ve also picked up a new player from New Zealand, Victor Olaaiga. He’s a big No.8 that reminds me a little of Hoskins Sotutu.

“He’s from Auckland and played North Harbour 7s recently. He’s still a young fella but he’s a very handy footballer.”

Which two teams will play in this year’s grand final and why? 

“That’s a tough one and it’s always a tough one to answer at this time of the year,” Prinsloo told Rugby News. 

“I think Brothers will be very good again. Having Pup (coach Ben McCormack) back at the club, he’s a very good human being but also a very good coach. 

“Brothers have regained most of their players and added a few more so they’ll be right up there again. 

 “Souths will be a dark horse. They’ve recruited a lot of new players and kept some handy players in their squad. 

“Heeno (Mick Heenan) coaching at Bond is also interesting. He could help them take an extra step. 

“At GPS, Sio Kite is new to coaching first grade but not new to coaching. He’s an exceptional people manager and I think he’ll do a really good job. 

“I wouldn’t mind if it’s us against any of those sides to be honest.”