Thirroul Butchers head coach Jarrod Costello says his team is fit and firing as the 2023 MOJO Homes Illawarra Cup approaches, with Round 1 set to kick off on April 22. The Club has been a consistent force in the competition in recent years, with their fans hoping they can continue to be a premiership threat in 2023. Russ Haylock reports.
A look at last season: Despite an impressive 2022 season, where they were crowned minor premiers, Thirroul may have been left wondering what might have been after suffering two straight losses in the Finals Series and being eliminated one game away from the big dance. The Butchers lost just one match out of 12 in the regular season before going down to both Wests and Collegians at the season’s pointy end.
New Signings: The Butchers have retained much of their core playing group from last season and picked up some new and returning players for their 2023 campaign. New faces to the Club include half and past competition winner Jarrod Boyle and hooker Brad Dietz, who has spent time in the NRL with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Jye Patterson and Josh Martin have also returned to the Club, with versatile back Hayden Crossland set to skipper the team this year.
“Hayden’s been a great club man, and he’s a really good leader at training as well,” coach Jarrod Costello says. “He’s a really good fit for that role, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he adapts to that role as a part of his game.”
Trial Matches: Thirroul has played out two trial matches in preparation for the 2023 season, edging out the Picton Magpies 12-6 and going down narrowly to De La Salle Caringbah 20-16.
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“They were both good hit outs, and there were some good signs from that, especially in our conditioning. We were really happy with how we came through physically in both trials,” Jarrod says.
As much as you can train Tuesday and Thursday nights, nothing compares to that match fitness, so it was important to get those two games in.”
Early Fixtures:
- Round 1 vs De La Salle (Away)
- Round 2 vs Corrimal (Home)
- Round 3 vs Collegians (Away)
Jarrod Costello, Head Coach: “For us, it’s about being a really hard-working team. We want to be really good in those effort areas; our kick chase, our line speed, our close support, and things like that. Those are things we’ve been working on in our trials, and we’re hoping that remains.”
“We’ve got great supporters, so we’re looking forward to getting back home in the second round and putting in a performance for them.“
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Words | Russ Haylock