The Dauphin Clippers men's rugby team has had a few tough years.
Rod Carberry joined the Clippers family as the coach nearly four years ago and they hadn't made the playoffs in any season since that, but, that all changed this season.
The Clippers finished up the regular season in fourth place and qualified for the postseason for the first time in recent history.
"We're definitely super excited that we built a team basically from scratch," said Carberry. "It's unfamiliar territory, but, it's exciting territory to be in the playoffs."
Since joining the Clippers family, Carberry has worked tirelessly to make sure he's giving the players the best opportunity to win games, and it's paying off.
"When I played for the Mavericks back in the day, there was a certain way things were done," he said. "Then when I started coaching and attending coaching clinics, I quickly realized how outdated I was. So, we pretty much scrapped everything and started from scratch. And, the guys were definitely receptive to that."
The semifinals will now see the Clippers take on the top-ranked Crocus Plains Plainsmen.
"Our expectations are absolutely to try and win it all," said Carberry. "We were up 12-0 at halftime last time we played them, and some things in the second half didn't go our way, but we know we can beat them. We're gunning for the top no doubt about it."
The semis are next Thursday in Brandon.
