President's New Year musings
From the pen of Marist St Pats President, John Spillane...
Happy New Year to all! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed a well-earned break over the New Year. But now, the holiday season is behind us and preparation for the 2025 rugby season is officially underway!
I wanted to take a moment to share a quick update on how things are progressing at the club as we prepare for what promises to be an exciting season.
Pre-season training kicked off last Monday, the 6th, and our recruitment teams have been working tirelessly, meeting with players across all grades every day. We’re thrilled to see great success in attracting talent to Marist St Pats, both from around the country and internationally, and we’re equally excited to retain so many of the players who helped make 2024 such a memorable year for the club.
A special welcome back to our women’s team for the 2025 season — it's fantastic to see strong attendance at training. Additionally, the Colts squad is shaping up nicely, with Tony and his team looking to build on last year’s achievements while supporting our two premier squads throughout the season.
Jason and his coaching team have been busy preparing exciting and challenging training sessions. They’re taking this time to really get to know the players across all levels of the club, ensuring we're ready to hit the ground running.
Lourdaiz has been hard at work too, using the final week of his holidays to get the Red Machine up to full speed, setting all his committee individual KPIs and running orders for the coming weeks. It's clear that everyone, players, coaches, managers and committee members alike, are committed to putting in the effort at this crucial time of year.
On the operational side, we’ve had some great progress as well. After a lengthy process, we’ve successfully obtained the club’s new liquor license — a big thanks to Melissa Moroney for her incredible work in making this happen, and to Cameron Bath for his support with the building compliance.
We’re also grateful to our friends at the Miramar Golf Club, who have generously donated some pre-loved but fantastic tables and chairs to MSP as they undergo their own capital projects. These new additions are a perfect fit for our clubrooms and will certainly enhance the experience for all our members.
Lastly, I want to send our best wishes to Life Member Terry Manion, who has spent some time in hospital over the holidays. We’re all wishing Terry a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the sideline and in the clubrooms when the season officially kicks off.
All in all, it’s a very busy and positive time at Marist St Pats right now. The atmosphere throughout the club is buzzing with excitement, and I truly believe we are in for a fantastic season ahead. With an incredible coaching and management team, and a talented group of players all eager to represent MSP with pride, I have an excellent feeling about 2025.
Bring on the season — I can’t wait!
MSP Supporters
Shamrock Club
