Player Profile: Joshua Mettler (Bishops Diocesan College)

The Bishops Diocesan College first hockey team will be on a mission to end their season on a high when they tackle Rondebosch Boys’ High in their final game of 2024 in Cape Town on Friday night.
The encounter, famously known as the Bisch/Bosch Derby, is scheduled for a 19:20 push-back at the Western Province Cricket Club (WPCC) main Astroturf.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
A key player for Bishops, who will be pulling the strings for his side, is the dangerous Joshua Mettler. He’s been an important contributor to Bishops’ successes this season. He’s scored crucial goals in big matches, created opportunities for his teammates, and has come to life when it’s mattered most, displaying a massive work rate on and off the ball.
The away fixture against Rondebosch will be his last in Bishops’ colours and, after a rather lukewarm second half of the season, he’s determined to end his schoolboy career on a positive note.
Ahead of the match, Mettler chatted with SuperSport Schools Plus hockey journalist Avuyile Sawula about his love for the game, about making a move from Curro Durbanville to Bishops in grade 11, and about the current season, which has included representing Western Province and South African Schools, and what his hockey future looks like.
The 2024 season, its ups and downs
There was a sense of optimism, rejuvenation, and a positive vibe when Bishops began their season with a long list of impressive results.
They kicked off their campaign at the Parel Vallei Boys’ Hockey Festival where they recorded wins over Somerset College, Outeniqua, and Paarl Boys’ High during the pre-season.
A week later, they hosted the 175 Bishops Hockey Festival. There, under the tutelage of the experienced Ryan Julius, they went unbeaten. They claimed a 3-1 win over Michaelhouse, a 4-0 victory against St Charles College, a 2-0 defeat of St David’s Marist Inanda, an 8-0 hammering of Bloemfontein’s St Andrew’s School, a hard-fought 2-1 victory over St Andrew’s College, and a 4-0 success against St Benedict’s.

They entered the season with their tails up. There was a slight hiccup when they were upset by Garsfontein in the quarterfinals of the Hibbert Shield, but their form in the Western Cape was strong.
However, once their coach, Ryan Julius, joined up with the national team to represent South Africa in the Paris Olympics, their form wavered.
In his absence, Bishops fell to a 1-2 loss against Paul Roos and were beaten 3-0 by SACS. Paarl Gimnasium claimed a 2-1 win over the Cape Town school and Wynberg Boys High avenged a loss earlier in the season, beating Bishops 3-1 in their rematch.
“This season has had its ups and downs,” Mettler told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We had one of our best starts where we went unbeaten for a couple of games, and I think that quarterfinal loss at the Hibbert Shield dampened our spirits.
“This term, we also lost Ryan (Julius) and Cassa (Abdul Cassiem – assistant coach), and that’s no excuse, but not having them there has had an impact on the team.
“It’s been tough, honestly, and we want to bounce back and close off the season on a high.”
Curro to Bishops, a tough transition
Mettler’s hockey career began early in grade one at Chesterhouse Primary School.
In grade four, he moved to Curro Durbanville, and that’s where he spent the rest of his primary school days before moving on to the high school.
With swimming also in the mix, the lanky youngster was forced to choose between the pool and hockey. The AstroTurf won that battle.
He played some of his best hockey in grade 10 at Curro but, after falling out with one of the coaches, he decided on a move to greener pastures and Bishops gladly opened its doors to him.

Mettler admitted, though, that it wasn’t all smooth sailing when he first arrived at the school. “When I got to Bishops, it was tough adjusting,” he revealed. “Coming from a co-ed school, they were stricter. Stuff like coming two minutes late for class, hair not combed correctly, shirt not tucked in, all of those were taken seriously at Bishops.
“On the turf, as well, I found the going a bit hard, I won’t lie.
“At Curro, we had two training sessions a week, and here at Bishops, we have a proper programme: pre-season tours, conditioning sessions, gym sessions, practice matches with UCT. It’s just a level up and it took me some time to get used to it.
As a result of his struggles on and off the turf, Mettler said he didn’t have the best of seasons in 2023 despite making the Western Province u18A side.
“I think one of the reasons I struggled was because of the pressure,” he explained. “At Curro, only parents used to watch our games, and getting to Bishops where hundreds of schoolboys come out was kind of nerve-racking.
“I was the new kid on the block. Everyone knew I came for hockey and the pressure to perform in front of everyone got a bit too much.”
In the blue and white of Western Province
In grade seven, Mettler was selected for the u13A Western Province side that finished fourth at the Inter-Provincial Tournament. He received the “Most Valuable Striker” accolade, which set him up nicely for high school.
In grades eight and nine, he missed out on provincial selection due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In grade 10, he was selected for the Western Province u16A side.
However, it was in 2023 that the stars aligned for the youngster. After his move to Bishops, he sneaked into the Western Province u18A side. Soon after that, he was selected to represent South Africa at the u17 Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia.
This year, he made the Province side again, and he was also selected for the SA Schools u18A team.

“As a young boy, you dream of making the SA side, and I’ve been working towards it,” he said.
“When I heard my name, I was relieved that I could tick off one of my goals. It’s not that I doubted myself, but going into this year’s IPTs, I picked up an injury and I had to play with strapping around it. Sometimes it didn’t feel good.
“Overall, it was a nice experience, going back-to-back [and winning the SASHOC National Week], and topping it off with making the SA Schools team.”
Influential figures and supportive family
On his journey, Mettler has been able to turn to a number of coaches to help him improve different aspects of his game.
At Curro, coach Darryl Christians was immense in his development, and Christians even helped him with his move to Bishops.
When he arrived at the southern suburbs school, he was guided by Julius and Cassiem, who both backed him and gave him time to settle in a new environment.
“Since grade seven, Darryl Christians has been there for me. He’s played a massive role in my career,” Mettler shared. “He’s one of the guys I could go to for advice, and he’s never led me astray.
“At Bishops, Cassa and Ryan have been immense for me, especially this season. As you know, last year, I didn’t play so well, and I thought they wouldn’t back me this year. They believed in me and have backed me all the way, and I thank them so much.”
Apart from his coaches, Mettler also gave credit to his family who have been his most reliable supporters since day one.
“My mom and dad don’t know much about hockey, but they’ve helped me through the good and bad times,” he said. “They’re always there for me, always telling me when I’m wrong, and encouraging me to do better and be accountable for my actions.
“They’ve supported me throughout my whole schoolboy career, taking me to training, on long drives to the AstroTurf. They’ve played a massive role,” he concluded.
The 18-year-old also plays for Milnerton Hockey Club and plans to continue playing the sport after school.
However, before that, he hopes to play a pivotal role in helping his side secure their second win of the season over Rondebosch.
In their first meeting, Bishops romped to a 5-1 win at the Woodlands Astroturf. They’ll be eager to reprise that showing on Friday night.