THE Rosewood Roosters have launched their 2025 rugby league season with a new senior coaching team eager to oversee a major club rebuild.
Head coach Sam Collins and his assistant Josh Hassett have teamed up to guide the Roosters C-Grade team in the 2025 Rugby League Ipswich CSI Volunteers Cup (C-Grade competition).
The Roosters started last year’s competition with Reserve Grade and C-Grade sides before a hefty injury toll left the club finishing the season with one team in the lower division.
Sam was excited to receive his Roosters coaching opportunity having strong country connections and having played for the club last season alongside his son Zac.
“We’re trying to get a rebuild happening,” Sam said.
“It should be good.
“A few of the Old Boys are back.”
Photo: DAVID LEMS
Sam (pictured) previously coached junior teams up to under-18 level at Brothers and Norths, gaining valuable experience.
After battling through finger and shoulder injuries last year, he plans to focus on coaching in 2025.
“I’m a very structured coach,” Sam said, having learnt at successful clubs like Brothers and Norths.
“I like to get down the field our way and then let the boys play what’s in front of them. Let the halves take over.
“I like to make metres our way with structure. I think that’s what we’ve been lacking the last couple of years.”
Sam said he also had a good rapport with the players, having trained and played with them last year.
“They are a good group of blokes. They play to have fun and they sort of back each other up, which is good,” he said.
“And they’ve been playing for a long time together so it will be good to get them all back and have a good season.”
Zac has been with the Roosters for four years, rising from the under-18 ranks to playing “unscathed” in both senior teams for much of last season.
After growing up in Lowood and living at Marburg for a number of years, Sam has been based at Fernvale for the past four years.
“We moved out this way a long time ago,” he said.
Sam’s country link extends to his work running cattle trucks at Marburg.
While Rosewood’s junior coaches are yet to be confirmed, Sam and Josh are eager to build a strong squad during pre-season training and trials next month.
Josh coached last year’s C-Grade side, working with his experienced dad Paul who has stepped aside this season.
Josh also helped out on the field last year when needed.
“There’s possibly an opportunity there that I might have to lace up the boots again but at this stage I’m sticking to retirement,” Josh said.
Photo: DAVID LEMS
The new coaching team are running training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Anzac Park.
The 2025 season is expected to kick off in late April, with a strong 10-team competition.
“It’s just a matter of getting them all back,” Sam said.
“It [C Grade] is a tough comp. There’s a lot of good young talent coming through who want to prove themselves and get into Reserve and A-Grade.
“I think with Ipswich now struggling for numbers – like the 18s and 20s and stuff like that – a lot of them young kids come up and play C-Grade for that next step into Reserve and A-Grade.”
Sam said the Roosters were planning trials against Beechmere as part of their pre-season preparation.
Front rower Lachlan Staples has been named captain, having played Reserve and C-Grade last season.
“He is a big club man,” Sam said.
Josh was encouraged by the early progress focused on fitness before more skills work with a later than usual start to the season.
“We’re looking pretty solid already but we’ll just keep pushing forward and hope for the best,” Josh said, restating the value of being involved with a country club.
“It’s great. It’s awesome.”