Bishops chasing consistency in 2025
Bishops Diocesan College first team hockey coach, Ryan Julius, believes the 2025 schoolboy hockey season will be competitive and will test his team’s depth and consistency.
Julius took over as head coach last season and immediately stamped his authority on the side.
He led Bishops to some resounding results and inspired his troops to play a brand of hockey that made them one of the most exciting teams in the country.
They started the 2024 season like a house on fire and dominated at the Bishops 175 Festival.
Thereafter, coach Julius and his guns scooped up victories against the likes of Wynberg Boys’ High, Paarl Boys’ High, and Rondebosch Boys’ High and drew with South African College High School (SACS) 1-1.
The southern suburbs school looked like a serious threat until the second half of the season, when their form dipped.
That coincided with the absence of coach Julius, who had left to represent South Africa at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
His assistant, Abdul Aziz “Casa” Cassiem, father to Dayaan and Mustapha Cassiem, also went to the Games, meaning there wasn’t a familiar voice in the camp.
In their absence, in the third term, Bishops suffered losses against Paarl Gimnasium, Paul Roos Gimnasium, SACS, and Wynberg.
They did, however, finish the year on a high by beating Rondebosch Boys 3-2 in their final match of the year.
“I think we had a great season last year, but I’m very excited for the season ahead. We want to build on from last season,” Julius told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“As a coach, you always strive for consistency and to leave the badge and environment in a better place than you found it.
“I think we left it in quite a good position in 2024. The pressure to grow the sport within Bishops and around the country is on, and I’m excited for the challenges that lie ahead.”
Bishops bade farewell to a whopping 14 squad members at the end of last season. That means Julius is on a rebuilding mission in 2025 and will be fielding a young team that will include a bunch of u16 stars from last year.
It’s a project that excites him.
“We’ve lost 85 percent of the team, but that allows us to work with the youngsters,” he said.
“The exodus also tests our culture at the school in terms of hockey and looks at how easily we can make players fit into a system.
“We’ve lost many, but I’m excited to work with a young and dynamic group that’s going to be together for the next two to three years.”
Coach Julius and his team will come up against fierce competition in 2025, and many will consider them underdogs.
It’s a label the two-time Olympian embraces and believes could help Bishops cause shockwaves against the top sides.
“It will be a competitive environment this year. A lot of schools are in a senior position, more than us.
“I love being the underdog. It’s a good element to have, and I’m looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.
“I believe we will be competitive and punch above our weight and make a statement with the young team that we have.”
While the conversation of rankings seems to be a hot topic at the beginning of every season, Julius insists it’s something to which they don’t may pay much attention.
“For me, the rankings are a bit flawed. It’s something I told the boys to not focus on.
“We can’t focus on the end result, but rather we must enjoy the journey; otherwise, the result will be less sweet.
“We want to enjoy the process and be ever-present, and the outcome will take care of itself. Success loves preparation, so we need to prepare well and just focus on ourselves,” he ended.
