Russ Haylock continues his 2023 Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup season preview, catching up with last season’s newcomers De La Salle with coach Luke Manahan declaring his side will be better for last year’s experience.
New faces De La Salle Caringbah made a solid first impression on the MOJO Homes Illawarra Cup last season, finishing fourth on the ladder and defeating all teams apart from the Thirroul Butchers throughout the season. With that year of experience in the bank and a solid pre-season behind them, coach Luke Manahan says the team is confident as they look towards the start of the season.
A look at last season: De La Salle burst out of the gates last season with wins in their first three competition matches and remained consistent throughout the year to finish in the top four, winning eight of their 12 games. They were downed 26-12 by eventual Premiers Collegians in the first round of the finals. Still, they will be better for the experience of playing finals football in their debut MOJO Homes Cup season.
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New Signings: De La Salle have added several players to their squad this season, including fullback Tyla Tamou, who was a part of the minor-premiership winning Newtown Jets team in last year’s NSW Cup, and five-eighth Jack A Williams, a local junior who has spent time with the Parramatta Eels NRL squad. They have also retained hooker Jaz Favell, who won the Club’s players player award last season, as well as captain and second-rower Andrew Faddy and outside back Nathan Skinner.
Coach Manahan says the Club has aimed to “keep the core of the team and add a bit of value and experience to it” for the 2023 season.
Trial Matches: The team played their only trial on April 1, with a 20-16 win over Thirroul, who they will take on in Round 1 of the regular season.
“The boys definitely needed a game to get some game fitness in, and for me to get a gauge on where everyone is at, and to see some guys who’ve come back, and some guys I haven’t seen play before,” Luke said after the match.
“I think all five teams we play are going to be extremely hard to beat. Based on last year, I think everyone is going to be even better this year.”
Early Fixtures:
- Round 1 vs Thirroul Butchers (Home)
- Round 2 vs Wests Devils (Away)
- Round 3 vs Dapto Canaries (Away)
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Luke Manahan, Head Coach: “The prep has been good compared to last year, where we were interrupted by the rain and didn’t get to do nearly as much as we wanted to do footy-wise.
“The strength of the competition is far superior to what we were used to playing in, so we’re more prepared for that, and we know what we’re up for.
“We’ve also got a bit more experience which is probably where we lacked last year, so I think having that year under our belt really helps knowing what we’re going into this year.”