Thirroul five-eighth Jarrod Boyle says his side “limped” into the top four but after bowing out in straight sets last year believes they’ll do more than make up the numbers in this year’s Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup Finals Series.
Last year’s minor premiers got their 2023 finals campaign underway with a thrilling 18-16 win over a fast-finishing Wests in last week’s minor semi-final, Boyle saying the win was a confidence boost for the Butchers after an inconsistent season and confirmation things have started to click at the right time.
“I think we’ve found a game plan that works for us the last few weeks,” Boyle explains.
“The weekend helped us. That’s put a lot of belief in the side. We’ve got a few younger players who haven’t played any finals footy; many are in their early 20s.”
“Our completion rate, which was very poor throughout the year, is up. If you look back at the games we’ve lost this season, we were up at halftime in about 80 percent of games.
“So we’ve shown we can start games. It’s just the switching off towards the end of the game where we’ve been run down.”
There’s no doubt the classy pivot knows what it takes to get to the big dance, having won premierships with Helensburgh in 2015 and Collegians in 2017 and 2019.
“We always knew we had the team and the players. We said towards the end of the year if we get in the Finals, it’s a different ball game. We’re here now; it’s completely up to us.”
Read More>>Road To The Finals
Hard lessons
As for their opponents this weekend, minor premiers De La Salle won two of the three games they have played this year. Boyle says they have had to learn their lesson the hard way, including a heartbreaking one-point loss in their last meeting after squandering a 22-point lead at halftime.
“Our learning is they don’t give up. A lot of teams down 22 points at halftime, especially being a younger side, which De La is; they could have given up, but they didn’t.
“They ran us down, so we know they’re a tough, resilient side. We can’t think we’ve got it in the bag at any point on Saturday.”
“They’ve got a big athletic, mobile side. There are no weaknesses. They’re strong all over the park, so our 1 to 13 will have to be switched on.”
While it’s been a decade since the Butchers last tasted premiership success, Boyle is in his first season at the club, and the veteran pivot is enjoying his footy more than ever.
“You hear many people say, ‘If I didn’t play for the club I play for, I would play for Thirroul.’
“That was even our thought process when we were back at Burgh. The battles you have with them, how they play, and how they get supporters to the ground. The whole community gets behind them, so I’ve loved every minute.”
One-town, one-team
It’s that one-town, one-team mentality that has instilled a strong sense of belief in the blue and whites.
“We wouldn’t have beaten Wests on the weekend if we weren’t strong across the park because they’re another quality side.
“For us, it’s not the players. It’s more the simple game plan, holding the ball and doing the effort areas.
“We know we’ve got the personnel to do it. It comes down to whether we can perform on the weekend.”
Illawarra Rugby League | Preliminary Finals | Collegians Sports Complex, Figtree Saturday 26th August
- Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup – 3pm – De La Salle v Thirroul
- Mojo Homes First Division – 1:30pm – Collegians v Corrimal
- Harrigan 2nd Division Shield – 12:00pm – Figtree v Avondale
- Mojo Homes U18’s – 10:30am – Wests v Thirroul