Randwick coach Ben McCormack is confident his young group is ready to match it with the big boys and challenge for a spot at the pointy end of the Shute Shield ladder this season.

A young Randwick side, minus their contracted players who spent most of last season in a Super Rugby bubble, were mid-table when the competition was postponed and then cancelled in 2021.

“To be fair, I wasn’t unhappy with how we performed last year,” McCormack said.

“I thought we were having a reasonable season and had plenty of footy left in us. We had a largely young group and we were able to debut a number of young guys who were very good colts players.

“I thought some of those guys did a great job and it was great to give them that exposure to first grade footy.”

McCormack said he has much higher expectations for his side this season, following on from last year’s experiences and said he expected a handful of his ‘older, young’ guys to stand out this year.

“I’m excited to watch a few of our backrowers like Ben Houston, Saxon Gillies and Liam Cornish. They were all very good colts and got a taste of first grade last year.

“Benny in particularly, played most of last year in first grade and I think we probably would have gone on and had a bit of a breakout year if the season continued. He had some outstanding games for us at No.6.

“Those boys have been working hard for a number of years now and at 22-23, their bodies are now ready to match the enthusiasm that they’ve always played with. Plus, they’re building experience and will only keep getting better.

“In the backs, we’ve also got a few guys like Christian Yassmin and Jackson Mohi who have been good for a number of years now. I wouldn’t swap those two for any other outside backs in the comp and again, I think they’ll only keep getting better.”

The Wicks have retained the majority of their playing and coaching groups from 2021, something McCormack is hoping will help his side during a tough opening month to the season.

Randwick face Eastwood, Sydney Uni and Manly in the opening rounds before a local derby against Easts at Coogee Oval on the Anzac Day long weekend.

“I don’t think the base of our game will change but we’re looking to add some layers to what we’ve been doing,” the coach said.

“We want the quality and consistency of our basic skills to be right up there and we want to execute those skills under pressure.

“Looking at the competition, it’s been quite visible that a lot of support has gone into Western Sydney, Hunter and West Harbour and it looks like they’ve recruited really well.

“They’ve all got good coaches and good set ups and you’d like to think results will come for them.

“I don’t think there will be any easy games and you’ll really need to show up each week.”

Despite that, the coach remains confident that his young side has what it takes to sit at the pointy end of the ladder at the midway point of the season, when Randwick could welcome back as many as seven players from the Waratahs top squad.

“It’s going to be super important to start the season well and not just from a performance point of view but also from a cultural point of view. You need to have the right vibe around the group and the right standards and behaviours already established.

“Luckily, most of our contracted players are all juniors or colts who have been in and around this group for a numbers of years so I’d like to think they’ll slot in pretty seamlessly.”

Photo: RicMac Photography