If you’re looking at why NYAC has had success this season, you can look at their halfback combo, their tenacity up front, or their grouchy back row.

But many will say it all comes down to the engine room. Brian Doyle, long a central figure in NYAC’s best performances, is having probably his best season. He is excellent in the lineout, tough around the pitch, and a pusher in the scrum.

“We’re doing well,” Doyle told RUGBYMag.com. “We’ve formed a core group of guys who work together well and have all gotten better. I just think we’re clicking,”

Doyle observed that most rugby clubs struggle with a mix of game experience and athleticism.

“You are in a lot of situations where the players are either good athletes, or good rugby players,” he said. “It’s tough to get a lot of guys who are both. This team has a lot of guys who are athletic and are rugby players, too.”

Doyle spend some time in Australia, and said that game experience was crucial for him.

“We played 22 games, twice against every opponent,” he said. “We don’t do that here in the Super League. It would be great to get that type of experience at this level. But one season there is like three in the Super League.”

So it has taken some time for everyone to come together at NYAC – especially after an off year last season.

“Now in the forwards we all know, everyone has a job to do,” he said. “We know we’ve got a pack full of good, tough players, and we’re going to win some ball. I just feel we’ve got talent, and we’re clicking right now.”