Just a year after winning a first grade premiership, Sydney Uni lost five of their last seven matches in 2023 to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Despite that, returning coach Todd Louden, who was last at the club in 2013, seems confident his young, talented squad can push up the ladder this season.

Overview with Todd Louden: 

“We’ve been working really hard to develop from within, so we’ve got a young team and they’re doing well,” Louden told Rugby News.

“We reviewed the game model we had played for the last several years and have renewed our approach and game style. The model had been in place for probably five or six years, and I think it had run its course a little. 

“We also looked at the new tackle laws and modernised our approach based on that.

“We’ve worked a lot on the technical skills around the tackle. We’ve also looked at our defensive structure because I think the new laws will have a pretty significant impact, particularly in the early rounds as teams adjust. 

“It’s also going to be interesting when teams get Super Rugby players back midway through the season. They wouldn’t have played or trained with the new tackle height at all, so we will have to adjust again when that happens.

“I can’t speak too much for what happened last year. In saying that, historically, Sydney Uni has gone through a renewal every 10 years, and the club was probably overdue.” 

“I’ve coached at the club during renewal periods before and it can take two or three years to get things back to where you want them to be, but the club has always found a way to do it.

“There had been a big turnover of players and I’ve been told that the coaches and players felt they couldn’t build cohesion considering the significant injury list they had.

“This year, we’ve got a lot of young players and we’re trying to accelerate their development as much as possible. Through trial and error, they’ll rise, and they’ve been rising pretty quickly over summer, to be honest.”

2024: 8th (9 wins, 9 losses)

Ins/Outs: 

“We haven’t done a lot of recruiting. We have looked at our second grade and first grade colts from last year. Second grade won their competition, and first grade colts fell just short in the grand final. 

“That’s given us a great base to build on.”

What style of rugby will we see from Sydney Uni this season?

“We’ve had a serious look at our kicking game because we found towards the end of last year, teams were playing our style against us,” Louden explained. 

“It has probably become a little outdated, so we’ve adjusted that part of our game. 

“We’ve also been working on our attack/defence game and how we can transition from one to the other. 

“We’ve noticed a big penalty count in the trials, but there’s also been a much longer advantage played, so I think that will create opportunities.”

Player(s) to watch: 

“Our squad’s average age is 21, so we’ve got a lot of young, exciting talent. 

“But we’ll look to our experienced guys to help lead them, and we’ve gone with a co-captain model this year, which includes Ciaron Loh and Jack McCalman.” 

“I also think you’ll see guys like Eddie Poolman, who has been around for a while now. He will really step up, and he has had an exceptional preseason period.

“Another player I’m excited about is Brad Amituana. He’s played some first grade and trained well over the summer.” 

“Of the young players, Jack Matthews at fullback is really impressing. He’s been outstanding.”

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

“We’re going to improve a lot on last year and I think the beauty of having such a young team is that they don’t really have a ceiling at the moment,” Louden told Rugby News. 

“Predicting who will win the Shute Shield is getting harder and harder, it will really come down to how quickly we grow as a group. I certainly wouldn’t write us off. 

“Easts have the all-star squad. They should really make the grand final this year. They’ve recruited hard and now have a mix of Easts and Eastwood players, which will be interesting. 

“Norths are also going to be very, very hungry. They are well coached and will be right in the mix as well.”