Season Preview 2025: Yass Magpies

The Yass Magpies are focused on making a strong comeback in the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup after a challenging 2024 season.

Meanwhile, the Magpies will aim to defend their title in the Katrina Fanning Shield while striving for greater consistency in the League Tag competition.

Yass endured a disappointing campaign in the first-grade men’s competition, finishing with three wins, 12 losses, and one draw. However, the club is placing its faith in new captain-coach Luke Berkrey, a three-time Group 9 premiership winner, to lead a resurgence.

Long-time clubman Dave Barrie praised Berkrey’s impact.

"He’s getting us really fit, and we’re buying into the culture," Barrie said. "He works well with players across all grades and is very good tactically."

Barrie is confident about the team’s prospects in 2025.

"We will be one of the most improved teams in the Canberra Raiders Cup.

"Our team may not have the same strike power as others, but we’ll buy in as a group and work well together."

Yass will look to defend their Katrina Fanning Shield title after a dominant 28-10 grand final win over the Gungahlin Bulls, reaffirming their status as a powerhouse in the competition.

Asked whether they feel pressure as the reigning champions, Magpies skipper Sami Afele dismissed any concerns.

"Not really, we deal with this every year. We’ve made a fair few finals, so we’re used to it," Afele said. "We just do what we always do – try to get there again."

Afele credits the club’s success to its strong culture and a core group of dedicated players.

"We’re fortunate to train with the first-grade guys and other grades, which helps us improve and feel supported by the club.

"We also have a solid core of girls who bring others in and help build the team."

After an inconsistent League Tag season, Nadine Boulding is excited about the young talent coming through.

"A lot of our junior players have stepped up - we have a squad of 22 this year, with 70% of them being juniors," Boulding said.

"There’s plenty of talent - we just need to figure out how to fit them into our structure."

In Reserve Grade, Yass scraped into the top four but suffered a heavy defeat to the Bulls in the minor semi-final. They’ll aim to build on that and go deeper in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Under-19s finished fifth and will push for a top-four spot this season.