Believe it or not, we’re already at the halfway point of the 2018 Premier Rugby season and the competition is shaping up to be a doozy.

This week, Rugby News spoke to all nine Premier Rugby coaches to get their thoughts on the first half of the season and find out what each side will be working on in the run towards the finals.

Easts: 4th – 5 wins, 3 losses

After losing their first two matches, Easts won five straight games before falling short against GPS on the weekend. We spoke to Anthony Connellan about his side’s start to the season.

How would you describe your start to the season?

“We’re very happy with our first nine rounds. Our results have been solid and to be sitting in fourth, halfway through is about where we would have hoped to be,” Connellan said.

“Souths, Uni and GPS have been the standouts and deservedly hold the top spots. I am really happy with our willingness in contact although we still have some work to do around accuracy.

“The most pleasing aspect of the first half of the season has been our try scoring capabilities. This has been a massive improvement from last season.”

Who has been your best performer so far this year?

“Matt Gordon has provided us with plenty of go forward and set a platform for us in the midfield. He has worked really hard on his defence and second effort at the breakdown and his follow me leadership style is working well.”

What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?  

“Play in the finals. We have put ourselves in the mix and now have a responsibility to our club and supporters to make sure we are playing in finals. Our biggest challenge is to continually improve our consistency,” Connellan said.

“I think we have proven we can match it with most sides for 60 minutes but we need to reduce our lapses in concentration and execution.”

Sunnybank: 5th – 4 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw

Just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get with Sunnybank this year. The Dragons are well and truly in the mix in fifth spot but they haven’t won consecutive matches since back in round three. We spoke to Damon Virtue to find out why.

How would you describe your start to the season?

“It’s been a bit of a mixed start to the year. I think the competition is obviously really tight and if you’re a little bit off, you get stung. To be honest we would of liked to pick up another win or two but it hasn’t worked out that way for a few different reasons,” Virtue told Rugby News.

Who have been your best performers so far this year?

“Nathan Den Hoedt aka the “Moose” and Josateki Murray have been really good for us this year, both have been very consistent in their performances.”

What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?  

“We need more guys from within the squad to play to their potential and compete for 80 minutes.
If we can do that, I think we will be in the hunt,” Virtue said.

“The other real positive is that we’ve already developed and exposed a lot of players to Premier footy this season.”

Norths: 9th – 2 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw

Things haven’t quite gone to plan for Nick Fogarty and the Eagles so far this year but despite winning just two matches so far, Norths can still do plenty of damage in the back end of the season.

How would you describe your start to the season?

“Very inconsistent. One week we play well and the next we just don’t put it together,” Fogarty said.

“The group are playing with plenty of heart but we’re letting ourselves down with some poor decisions and simple errors.

“As a squad we are very disappointed with where we are at at the end of the first round. We had an excellent preseason and have improved our depth across the club but we haven’t been able to find consistency and put it together when it counts.”

Who have been your best performers so far this year?

“Jordan Taupou, AJ Campbell, Conor Chitto and Reece Hewat have been very good for us each week. The leadership of Hewatt and Taupou has been immense and they have been our two best players week in, week out,” Fogarty said.

“AJ Campbell has been a real workhorse up front and Conor Chitto has been a real threat out wide every time he touches the ball. Nick Jooste is a proven match winner with his boot and is real cool under pressure.”

What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?  

“As a group we need to stick to our structure and patterns for longer minutes. We look great in patches but we let ourselves down by going away from the game plan or making low percentage plays.”

Wests: 6th – 3 wins, 5 losses

Wests are within striking range of the top four but could be a whole lot closer according to Patrick Byron. The Bulldogs have lost four games by seven points or less so far this year, something they can’t afford to do going forward if they want to play finals footy.

How would you describe your start to the season?

“It’s been frustrating, we’ve had a lot of tight games. With the exception of UQ, every game has either been won or lost by a try, and even in the UQ game we bombed a chance to go ahead with five minutes to go, before conceding two late tries,” Byron told Rugby News.

“Ideally we would have liked to be a bit higher on the table, however we are still within touching distance of the top four. We have to go on a winning streak soon.”

Who have been your best performers so far this year?

“In the forwards, our No.8 Dillon Wihongi has been outstanding every game and is in very good form.

“In the backs, halfback Liam Dillon has been superb whenever Moses Sorovi has been with the Reds. He’s one of the best halfbacks in Queensland in his own right.”

What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?  

“Consistency in our set piece is important, we’re still struggling in that area and need to improve to win games consistently,” Byron said.

“Ball retention is another area. We turn over too much ball, which leads to more set piece opportunities for opposition teams. We need to control the ball better.”

UQ: 2nd – 5 wins, 3 losses

The defending premiers were ambushed by Brothers in round two, then fell short against Bond a week later. But the Red Heavies have improved since their early stumble and although they dropped another game to Souths last week, UQ are still sitting pretty in second at the halfway point of the season and ready to strike according to Mick Heenan.

How would you describe your start to the season?

“I’m very happy with how we are placed. Our performances have been fairly consistent in that the games we have lost have gone right down to the wire and we have played some good rugby in our wins,” Heenan said.

“Importantly we have a good understanding of what we need to do to keep improving. I was hoping to be top four at this stage of the season, so top two is a bonus.”

Who have been your best performers so far this year?

“It’s hard to single anyone out given we have had a really even spread of performance and effort.

“In terms of someone who has really stepped up his performance this year, I probably can’t go past Clifton Setu.”

What do you need to do over the next 9 rounds to consider 2018 a success?  

“Now that we are in the top two, we would like to stay there. However you just need to make the finals and arrive there in good shape.”