Southern Districts had a disappointing season in 2023 but welcomed a familiar face back to the club over summer.

Joe Barakat was club captain at Southern Districts in 1989 and first grade coach in 2000.

In 2024, he’s back at Forshaw and eager to turn the Rebels into a tough, hard footy side capable of playing finals for the first time since 2017.

Overview with Joe Barakat: 

“Things are looking alright down here. We’ve worked pretty hard and it’s been fairly arduous but I think we’ve prepared ourselves way for some tough games ahead,” Barakat told Rugby News. 

“We’ve done a lot of contact over summer and typically if you do too much contact with bodies that aren’t up for it, they break, but we haven’t broken anyone. It shows these guys are really good athletes. 

“It’s all only training though, it’s hard to predict too much until you get on the field. 

“I originally agreed to come back and help out as an assistant coach but I’ve ended up as head coach. Anyone that has seen sides I’ve coached in the past knows that I value defence above anything else in the game. 

“There is constantly movement in the Shute Shield, with players coming in and out, colts coming up then going back down. That makes attack difficult and you really need to build cohesion to attack well. 

“Defence is different. If you can build a good system and teach the players to stay connected to the guy on either side of them, then typically you can find a way to stop sides and that’s what we’ve been working hard on. 

“We also want to put a fair bit of pressure on at the breakdown and off the back of that and our defence, I’m confident our attack will come. 

“I haven’t spent too much time worrying about the new tackle laws. I’ve told the players, if you play the game in the right way and you’re not careless, then the new laws really shouldn’t make that big of an impact. 

“We’ve always aimed to tackle under the sternum and if you don’t, you probably deserve to be penalised.”

2023: 12th (4 wins, 14 losses)

Ins: Liam Blyde (Wellington, NZ), Lumafale Lualua (Wellington, NZ), James Douglas (Wellington, NZ), Sean Rigney (Ireland), Mark O’Brian (Ireland), Elliot Cichero (UNSW), Oscar Schmidt-Uli (returning, Menai Warriors), Ethan Schimdt-Uli (returning, Menai Warriors), Rihari Wilson (Moorabbin, Victoria). 

Outs: Archie Hosking (UK), George Gibson (Easts), Julian Zissis (Southern Districts). 

What style of rugby will we see from Southern Districts this year?

“When I looked at Souths last year, they ranked last at lineout time and third last in scrums which is so unusual for a Southern Districts’ side,” the coach said. 

“Defensively, they were letting in five tries a game and only scoring two.

“Set piece and defence are both areas I’ve spent a bit of time on over the years so it’s no surprise that we’ll focus on those two areas before we worry about anything else.”

Player(s) to watch: 

“We’ve picked up two brothers, Oscar and Ethan Schmidt-Uli who actually grew up in Menai (Souths feeder club). They moved to New Zealand but are back in Australia now and they were both standouts for us at the Kiama 7s. 

“Lumafale Lualua is a No.10 or No.12 who is built like a brick sh#thouse, but has lots of skills and carries the ball well. He knew a few guys at the club and decided to come over and join us. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Which two teams will play in the grand final and why?

“I really haven’t looked that far ahead to be honest but Norths and Randwick will be strong again,” Barakat said. 

“The clubs with strong numbers and depth are always going to have a big advantage. When you have good numbers, you typically find quality from within. 

“Eastwood will also be in the mix. I think they will be very well coached.

“For us, we’re not talking about rebuilding. That only gives us an excuse if we lose. Our aim is always to win more games than we lose. If that puts us in the mix for finals, then I reckon by then we’ll be playing some good footy. 

“Firstly though, we need to build some consistency within our performances and return to being the tough, hard Southern Districts of old.”