A young Sydney Uni side coached by Todd Louden couldn’t quite crack the top six this season, after letting too many tight games slip.

But Director of Rugby Nick Ryan appears confident the club has plenty to build on and is excited by the appointment of new head coach John Manenti.

Overview with Nick Ryan:

“It was a disappointing year for us in first grade and unfortunately we had a few injuries at inopportune time which stunted our momentum,” the experienced rugby man told Rugby News.

“In saying that, I think there has been a really good foundation laid by Toddy (Louden) over the past few years and we’ve blooded a lot of good young players, probably ahead of their time. 

“I think the foundations that Todd has laid will set us up for a number of good seasons ahead. 

“To be fair, we lost probably five games either in the last minute or by a couple points. So obviously our ability to manage games and close games out under pressure is a really critical work on for us. 

“That’s probably linked to a little bit of inexperience in our team, particularly in key positions but clearly there needs to be a big focus on learning how close out games. 

“With the competition being as tight as it is, you can’t afford to let opportunities slip and we did that a little too often this season. 

“The club has appointed John Manenti as head coach for next year. He’s got a great pedigree and built a really strong CV across both club and professional footy in recent years. 

“Todd has laid a great foundation and I think John has the skillset required to help the young players at our club take that next step as individuals and as a team. 

“He’s got a good understanding of the club, having played here in his younger years, but he’s also spent time at other clubs and at other levels of the game, so I think he’ll add a really positive perspective to things at Sydney Uni.”

What is the focus at Sydney Uni between now and round one next year? 

“As a club, we pride ourselves on having really good preseasons and turning up to round one really fit and organised as a group. 

“Nothing really changes there for us. 

“We’ve probably struggled to get continuity and cohesion in our top squad in recent years, so that’s an area we’ll focus on through preseason. We want to get combinations sorted nice and early so we can build on that through the season. 

“John will obviously come in with a bit of a clean slate so there’s a great opportunity for players to put their best foot forward and earn a jersey. 

“But fundamentally, we want to use this time to get really fit, to up-skill our players and to get a good understanding of how John wants to play so we can develop good connections across all of our sides and programs. 

“If we can do that by round one, then we should be in a pretty good shape for the year ahead.”

Which of your players do you think can crack on to the next level? 

“The first one that comes to mind is probably Eamon Doyle. He’s only played snippets of footy for us over the past 12-18 months due to his representative commitments but we’re hoping to see a bit more of him in 2026,” Ryan said.

“He’s a guy that has great on-field capabilities but also great leadership and he captained the Australian U20s side this year. 

“He is highly regarded at Uni and if we can get plenty of time with him next year, I think he could be a difference maker for us. 

What are you expecting in 2026? 

“The bar just keeps getting higher and higher every year so we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Ryan said honestly. 

“We know we need to improve if we want to push ahead of those teams that played finals footy this year but we’ve got a really exciting group of young players who all have lots of potential. 

“We’re also getting back a few old boys who will add plenty of experience to the group and  I think that will balance out our roster. 

“If everything goes to plan, we want to be there when the whips are cracking next season.”