After an extended break, the best four sides of the 2021 Premier Rugby season will be given two weeks to prove why they should be crowned champions of another strange, strange rugby season. 

Ahead of the opening semi finals next weekend, Rugby News caught up with all four coaches to get the inside word on their playoff preparations and see what they had to say about the other three finalists. 

Next, we chat to Wests coach Carl Marshall. 

How are things looking heading into the finals? 

“The boys and all the coaches are all really excited,” Marshall told Rugby News. 

“Obviously, it was a strange end to the season but at the end of the day, it’s the first time in five years and only the second time in 14 years that Wests Premier Grade have made the finals. 

“It’s a big achievement and it was a major goal for us this year. 

“We’ve got a fair few teams across the club playing finals. I think we’ve got every team except second grade so that’s created a really positive buzz around the club.”

How do you look back on the backend of the regular season? 

“I thought our second round was pretty good. We lost the first game against Brothers, but from then onwards we picked up 22 out of a possible 25 competition points. 

“The only game we dropped was against Easts and we lost that in the 80th minute. That was a bit disheartening but besides that I was really pleased with our second round. 

“Our last game against Bond, we showed tremendous spirit after losing a player to a red card early in the game. Despite that, we really dominated that game before we leaked a few late tries and that was against a team playing for their season.

“We still had a tiny bit to do in those last two games to make the finals but I’m very confident we would have qualified still if those games weren’t cancelled.”

They say finals footy is like a new season. Is that particularly true this year after this recent break? 

“I think the new format probably benefits us and Brothers. You play well one week and win and you’re in the grand final. 

“Jeeps and Uni have been the top teams all season, they only lost one game each and now they’re in a sudden death playoff. 

“We’ve got nothing to lose and we’re excited about next weekend. 

“We’re also really glad we’re playing Jeeps at Yoku Road. The pressure is certainly not on us and we think we can turn up and rise to the occasion. 

“We’ve also got a few guys back that probably wouldn’t have been able to play a few weeks back so that’s a big positive.”

On University of Queensland:

“The thing with UQ is that they’ve been there or thereabouts for 10 years now, for as long as I’ve been coaching anyway. 

“They all know their individual roles and they play a very fast game. They’re very fit across the board and like to play backrowers at lock so they can be aggressive on the ball. 

“The key to doing well against UQ is winning that first collision on both sides of the ball and controlling the game from there. If you can do that and slow their ball down, then you’re in with a chance.”

On GPS:

“Jeeps are also having a great year and have only dropped one game. They’re a side that likes to play to their strengths and love to play tough, tight rugby with plenty of scrums and mauls. 

“They try to put the squeeze on you and keep you down in your own half, then force errors. 

“Essentially that’s what happened in our round one game against them. We only lost by two points but we both played very contrasting styles of rugby which makes for an interesting contest.”

On Brothers:

“It’d be a great finals series if it ended up with us and Brothers in the finals. They’ve worked really hard as a unit throughout the year and got better and better as the season went on. 

“They’ve got a lot of their rep players back in their backline and they were able to post some big scores in the second round. They’ve got a very good backline that can score a lot of points. 

“It’ll be an interesting game, Brothers v Uni. It’s one of those traditional and historical rivalries so for them to meet in a semi final is exciting.”