This Saturday the Southern Districts Colts are taking three sides to Singleton for the first trial of the 2017 season.

The squad’s been training hard since October with three and sometimes four sessions per week and, finally, they are about to have their first game. I’m not sure who is more excited, the players or the coaches and managers!

The pre-season training has showed that Colts have probably the most talented group of players we’ve fielded at Southern Districts, and expectations, ambitions and hopes are set very high.
We don’t want to waste the opportunity to put what we have trained for into action, and the coaches are looking for intensity, excitement, commitment and enjoyment from the games against Singleton.

There’s no doubt this will be a great hit out. Singleton are excited to have the city boys come to visit and will be putting on some real country hospitality for the visitors off the field, and some hard-nosed country rugby on the field.

After speaking to the coaches, I can see they’re looking for the players to put together the structures they’ve been working on solidly since Christmas, and it will give the players a good understanding of how the game plan fits together, and how each piece works in with the next phase and how their individual roles interact.

I’ve put in a request to Singleton Rugby Club for no rain and no heatwave so hopefully they have some connections to ensure we have some good rugby weather. It would be great to see some of the players’ families and friends at the game, and become part of the Colts family group. And for the Colts newbies, welcome to Southern Districts. It will be great seeing everyone at the Colts games throughout the season, especially our home games at Fort Forshaw.

Lastly, I want to say good luck to two of our Colts players, Dom McGrath and Harry McLennan, for the game this Saturday for NSW Gen Blue U20s v Western Force U20s, and also to Sama Malolo and William Latu who will be playing for the Force. It’s great seeing our Colts getting these opportunities even if it’s over in Western Australia! It will be a real ‘mate vs mate’ affair, and I am sure that at every opportunity the Souths boys will be letting each other know they are on the field!