After helping Randwick break a 20-year premiership drought in his first year coaching his former club, Steve Hoiles has a bit to live up to in 2024.

Randwick lost to Brothers 25-18 in the Australian Club Championship in March. Despite that, Hoiles seems confident his side will be back in the mix when it matters at the back end of the Shute Shield season.

Overview with Steve Hoiles:

“It’s been a good off-season. We’ve had plenty of numbers and the quality of our training has been good but it’s still hard to tell exactly where we are,” Hoiles told Rugby News just before Easter.

“I think last year our trial form created a bit of false belief in terms of where we actually were and we ended losing a few games early. I’ve certainly learnt not to read too much into trials from that.

“As a whole though, the club is in a really healthy position in terms of both quality and quantity of players.

“The first few rounds are going to be really interesting. It’s going to be a really tight competition and it’ll be interesting to see where everyone stands after the first month.

“I think managing preseason is really important in the Shute Shield. You’ve got to mindful that most players are giving up something else to be at training. So you’ve got to make sure guys are enjoying themselves but improving at the same time. 

“We get a really long preseason in clubland, in comparison to Super Rugby or other competitions. 

“So there is no excuse not to be fit, but there is an excuse if you burn out your players before the end of the season. 

“Brothers put on a great event around the Australian Club Championship and we really enjoyed our time up in Brisbane. 

“We didn’t play overly well but there were a few new faces in the side and considering that, I was pleased by the amount of opportunities we created. We blew most of those opportunities but we still created them. 

“I was disappointed that we didn’t win but I was pleased with how the match went in terms of getting our guys ready for round one. 

“It’s still hard to know what our side will look like in round one. We play Hunter up in Newcastle which will be tough but we only have to field two grades that day. 

“We could have Will Harrison back but he’s coming off the bench for the Tahs this week. We could have Kurtley (Beale), but who knows where he is going to end up. He’s going to be back in professional rugby, it’s just a matter of when. 

“We’re confident in the depth we built at the club last year and we’re hopeful that will lead to another successful season.”

2024: Premiers (defeated Norths 17-15 in grand final)

Ins: Kurtley Beale (Waratahs), Will Harrison (injury), Michael Melia (Ireland), Faasiu Fuatai (MLR), Brooklyn Hardaker (MLR). 

Outs: Cormac Daly (Queensland Reds), Tom Silk (injury), Christian Poidevin (MLR), Matthias Jensen (Brumbies), Connor Tupai (MLR), Cyrille Cama (MLR), Jackson Mohi (retired).

What style of rugby will be see from Randwick this year? 

“I think the game is going to change quite a bit with these new tackle laws to be honest. We’ve got to be conscious of how the game is refereed, particularly early on,” Hoiles said. 

“Through the trials, we’ve seen a lot more penalties and hopefully teams can adapt sooner rather than later because we don’t want to see a further 15 to 20 stoppages per game. 

“Hopefully player safety won’t compromise the quality of the game but we think early on, it’s probably going to. Because of that, our set piece needs to be really good. 

“Defensively, we’ve got to change a few things as well. 

“My gut feeling is that there aren’t going to be long passages of play. If you get to 10 phases, there’s a good chance you’ll earn a penalty because a tackler will make a mistake so that forces us to change our approach a bit. 

“The refs are going to be learning on the run as well so everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. 

“But as a team, we want to compete in every aspect, we want to play smart in attack and then strike when opportunities present themselves.”

Player(s) to watch:

“Nick Chan and Jayden Blake are two centres who should be pushing for higher honours by the end of the year,” Hoiles said. 

“They were both outstanding last year but unfortunately Jayden got injured halfway through the season. Matthias Jensen came in and took his spot and ended up with a Brumbies contract. 

“I could probably name most the team. I’m excited for younger guys like Ben Houston, Nick and Jayden, who are pushing for higher honours. 

“I’m also excited for our more senior players like Christian Yassmin who wants to perform well every time he takes the field. I don’t want to speak for him, but if it is his last year, he’ll want to go out with a bang.”

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

“If you were punting at this point of the year, it’s pretty easy to point to a repeat of last year’s grand final,” the coach said. 

“Norths are going to be really strong again and I think we’ve got what it takes to go back-to-back. 

“I’m interested to see how Sydney Uni bounces back. For as long as I’ve been watching the Shute Shield, I’ve never seen that club have two bad seasons in a row so you can’t rule them out either.”