A FEW nerves and the odd concern were understandable during last summer.
At the end of last season, plenty of people couldn't help but think what exactly lay ahead for this term.
The way things finished last year, that was hardly surprising.
The ship has been well and truly steadied, and that's a huge plus for us all.
The challenge now as a whole group is not to get carried away with what's happened this year.
It's a decent start but it's still not what we want.
We will lose several hugely influential and experienced players this summer, like Pete Buxton and Jim Hamilton.
As one of the more experienced squad members I know I'll have to help offset that next year, and hopefully add a bit of stability.
And some of the younger guys stepping into their second year in the first team, they will need to kick on again too.
I'm holding back from the term 'young guns', because technically they are still young but they are gaining experience all the time.
I think they can all move forward pretty rapidly now.
Freddie Burns has grown massively this season as opposed to previous years.
If he and others in similar brackets can step on again, then it's going to be extremely exciting.
Taking bonus points out of tight matches and winning a fair few, that's definite progress and learning.
But losing the so-called 'lesser' games like Irish at home and Sale away, that's cost us.
And that's what's just holding us back from that top-four slot.
KALAMAFONI IS TOP OF THE CLASS BUT QERA PUSHED HIM ALL THE WAY BOTH Akapusi Qera and Sione Kalamafoni have been impressive this season. But on balance I thought Sione was exceptional. His workload that he gets through in games is incredible and to make such a big impact as a new player is just huge. So he's been my player of the season. And again I see it very similarly to the fans. I think Dan Robson (inset) has been excellent too. Half-back is a difficult position to go into, and on the whole he's been very strong. And he would be my young player of the season. If he can grow his game to another level next season that would be brilliant for both him and us, and there's no reason why he can't do exactly that. I can't pick one standout moment of the season. I will go for the toughness the guys have shown across the course of the campaign instead. It's been our greatest feature this season, I think. The ability to stay in games, generally, even when we have not played particularly well, that's a big factor, and one we've got to carry forward for next year. I WILL WORK HARD TO BE READY FOR PRE-SEASON I WAS a little unrealistic with the recovery from my shoulder injury now I look back at it. But I had to set myself those goals and targets, to push myself absolutely to the maximum in rehabilitation and fighting for fitness. It was important to help me get through week to week. I didn't get back anywhere near as soon as I wanted. But now I have an opportunity to make sure it's completely right before pre-season now. And that's a great chance that I'm ready to throw myself into. I've got to make sure I nail this shoulder 100 per cent right. So I'll still be going in at Hartpury over the off season. It won't be as hectic as it would be during the season, but I will still keep pushing. First and foremost I'll try to make the shoulder as strong as possible, so that I can go into the pre-season ready to get going straight from the off. IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE, BUT SORRY ABOUT MY POOR TIPS I HOPE my woeful betting tips haven't put you off the column too much this season! Seriously, though, thank you for reading. Everyone at Gloucester is constantly blown away by the support and level of interest in what we do. It's been a pleasure for me, and I hope a useful insight into life at Kingsholm.