NSWRL has spoken to the coaches of last year's premiership-winning teams in Junior Reps boys (metropolitan) competitions to see how they are shaping up ahead of Round One this weekend to kick off the 2025 season.
UNE SG Ball Cup (Under 19s)
Incoming St George Dragons coach Darren Nicholls wants to continue the attractive playing style that previous coach Willie Talau instilled in his players, that led all the way to winning the UNE SG Ball Cup Grand Final last year.
“Winning the premiership was a great achievement,” Nicholls said of the 40-18, eight tries to four victory over Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2024.
“I thought Willie did a great job and the style of football they played – you could see it in the grand final – was not an Under 19s style. It was a mature, more hardened footballer type of game that was really good to watch.
“Sort of where I see myself is wanting to have the same sort of impact and get enough players to progress through to Jersey Flegg (Under 21s) and NSW Cup and onto first grade.”
Nicholls is in the early years of his coaching career. He was assistant coach with his former St George Illawarra reserve grade coach Matt Head in Queensland Cup (Wynnum-Manly) in 2023 before returning to the Dragons Academy last year.
A former halfback, he played three NRL games for the Dragons (2018-2019) and 144 across both The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup and Queensland Cup (2014-2022), scoring 46 tries.
St George’s win last year was their first title in SG Ball Cup – the oldest NSWRL Junior Reps competition – since 1992. And Nicholls walks straight into the furnace, willingly.
“It is a lot of pressure… obviously we’re striving for our own success as I think I’ve only got four players, who will go around again from last year’s squad as naturally players move up into Flegg and (NSW) Cup.”
That foursome is winger Zach Nachar, who scored a double in the grand final, and forwards Cyrus Stanley-Traill, Viliami Hikila, and Risiate Smythe.
“I’m leaning on those boys to get their experience and energy to rub off onto the other players,” Nicholls said.
“We are a different team this year and we’ve got to earn that respect again as a key club in SG Ball and Harold Matts for that matter.
“We’ve already played two high-quality teams in trials this year in the (Sydney) Roosters and Illawarra Steelers. Unfortunately we got beaten in those two games but the good thing is we didn’t lose two competition points either.
“What the trials did was identify our strengths and weaknesses. Myself and the coaching staff only get to see so much in training but in matches you get to know players a lot better.”
The Dragons begin their 2025 campaign against South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round One this Saturday (1 February) at Redfern Oval.
UNE Harold Matthews Cup (Under 17s)
The memories of the Warriors’ historic Harold Matthews Cup premiership last year still bring a broad smile to the face of coach TJ Ashford.
He is back again to lead the New Zealand-based club after their 34-16, six tries to three win over Western Suburbs Magpies in 2024 to become the first team to win the competition in their maiden year.
And they did it the hard way from sixth – the last spot in the finals. They beat third-placed Parramatta Eels and Minor Premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs to get to the grand final.
“It's been an amazing 12 months for the players and the club,” Ashford said of the impact of last April’s finals.
“The club has been buzzing still.
“All those boys now become a part of history for the One NZ Warriors club and it's an achievement we can all be proud of.”
But now the hunters and the hunted and Ashford has been carefully crafting the message to his players that success 10 months ago can’t be repeated without effort.
“We have spoken about this,” he said.
“We understand we are now the hunted, but that's an awesome opportunity for these boys to stamp their own mark on the competition and leave their own legacy in the Warriors jersey.
“We have a really young side this year… very new and raw. The boys have been working on some combinations with real determination.
“But our depth in the club is really building and I have all the faith in the world that these boys coming through the development pathways at the club will come in and do a really good job for us.”
The Warriors begin their premiership defence against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles next Sunday (2 February) at 4 Pines Park.
All Junior Reps games in 2025 will be streamed live on NSWRL TV following a strategic alliance with media and production company, BarTV Sports.
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