A Comprehensive Look at The Winning Try 2025
Dive Into the Competitive world of 'The Winning Try'
Explore every aspect of ‘The Winning Try’ in this comprehensive review. Dive into character insights, strengths, and weaknesses. If you haven’t seen the drama yet and are looking for a spoiler-free review, check out the link below.
Spoiler Alert
Please be advised that this review contains significant spoilers about the plot and characters of ‘The Winning Try’. If you have not yet watched the drama, we recommend viewing it first to avoid any spoilers.
Series Details
General Information
Air Dates: July 25 – August 30, 2025
Episodes: 12
Where to Watch: Netflix
Genre: Sports Drama
Starring: Yoon Kye Sang and Im Se Mi
The Story
A disgraced rugby player who was forced to resign amid drug allegations three years ago returns to Hanyang Sports high school to coach their struggling team. But despite the principal’s support of her former student, the students and fellow coaches are less than thrilled to have him join their community. And the ex-girlfriend he ghosted after his resignation, who also works at the school, is even less happy. He will have his hands full if he is going to win the trust of his team and help them achieve their goal of becoming national champions.
Meeting the stars: Yoon Kye Sang and im Se Mi
Yoon Kye Sang as Ju Ga Ram
Ju Ga Ram was called the rugby genius as a young player. But after a drug scandal, he resigned his position on the national team and went into hiding. Now, after 7 years, his former mentor brings him back to try to help the school team, who didn’t win a single match last season. But his reception is luke warm at best from a team that doesn’t feel they can trust him and an ex-girlfriend who is also working as a coach and never forgave him for breaking her heart.
But as the story unfolds, we find that there is much more to the coach’s story than a player who used drugs to improve his performance. And that the serious illness he struggled with at that time was still taking its toll on his life and his body. As his own health issues become life threatening, he will sacrifice everything to see his team learn to work together to become the winners they deserve to be.
Ju Ga Ram is brash and confident. He is also a talented coach who knows how to get the most from his players. And once he earns the team’s respect, they begin winning matches and playing like a true team. Yoon Kye Sang is perfect for this kind of role. He has that cheeky smile that is both charming and rough around the edges. I really enjoyed his portrayal of this character.
Im Se Mi as Bae I Ji
Bae I Ji dated Ga Ram when they were both students at Hanyang High School. She was a star on the shooting team and now works now as an assistant coach. She has a partime contract, which means she is expected to work extra hard and do anything her supervisors tell her if she hopes to become a full timer.
After Ga Ram’s drug scandal, he disappeared without a word, ghosting I Ji for 3 years. His first day on the job is the first time she has seen him since it happened. And she is understandably bitter. Not only did he break her heart, he also broke her spirit, which caused her to ruin her shooting career. While helping coach, she is training in the hopes of finally getting her chance to claim her own championship and prove her skills as an athlete. But seeing him will bring back many emotions for her, and everything changes when she learns the truth of what really happened during that time.
Bae I Ji is hard working and empathetic. Her skills as a coach have earned the trust of the school’s star shooter, who would rather rely on I Ji than the head coach. I Ji is honest and refuses to let it slide when she discovers all the things the Vice Principal and the Shooting Coach have been up to and that almost costs her her job. Im Se Mi is a seasoned and versatile actress. I don’t feel like this character had a lot of depth but she played the part well.
Supporting characters
Kim Yo Han as Yun Seong Jun
Yun Seong Jun is the team leader and star player on the Hanyang rugby team. His twin brother is a professional soccer player, and Seong Jun has spent his life trying to break free from his shadow. He wants to secure his own future to play rugby in college, but their team didn’t win a single match last year.
Kil Hae Yeon as Kang Jung Hyo
Kang Jung Hyo is the principal of Hanyang. She was Ga Ram’s mentor during his school years and is one of the few people who knows the truth about his health situation. She is on the brink of retirement, but brings Ga Ram back as one of her final acts as Principal.
Kim Min Sang as Seung Jong Man
Seung Jong Man is the Vice Principal. He is eager to remover Principal Kang from her position and take over. He has used his job as vice principal to gain money and prestige from wealthy parents and community members. And he is not at all happy to have Ga Ram back, poking his nose into the VP”s private dealings.
3 things i loved about ‘The Winning Try’
1.
Team Chemistry:
This group of young actors really was a delight. They each brought their own element to the team and it was fun to watch their friendships solidify and deepen throughout the series. Their interactions felt natural and realistic.
2.
Seong Jun and U Jin:
Most of the romance in this drama is definitely a bit under the radar. But good on the writers that Seong Jun and U Jin had a whole past story arc. As two athletes with similar parental and team pressures, their relationship made sense. And Seong Jun’s bashful attempts at a confession and the team’s teasing him for it, were adorable to watch. Rather than push their romantic story to the forefront, they left it to rest just under the surface and it felt like just the right touch.
3.
Balance:
This drama does a nice job of balancing key elements. The intense emotional scenes are balanced with silly humor. The triumphant wins are balanced by hard-fought losses. And the talented, skilled coaches and mentors are balanced with selfish, greedy business people using the athletes for their own purposes.
3 things i didn’t love about ‘The Winning Try’
1.
Shooting Team:
For a drama about rugby, I felt like this drama was a little too balanced between the rugby team and the shooting team. I enjoyed the stories about the star shooters, but there are barely enough episodes to cover the rugby side of things without trying to thrown in a whole other team with their own dynamics and back stories.
2.
Office Politics:
Maybe I sound like an old record at this point, but the endless focus on office politics in these kinds of dramas never seems necessary to me. Yes, we needed to know a bit about it for the purpose of the overall plot. But all the screen time just took away from characters that could have been better developed and appreciated. How many times do we need to watch the Vice Principal and Shooting Coach huddled in some corner conspiring evil to get the point?
3.
Lead Triumphs:
I loved that the rugby team got their big win in the end. But what about the leads? Those who are close to him were able to find out the truth, but there is still a whole nation of people calling Ga Ram a doper. I would have liked to see him gain back some of his reputation and prestige.
And then there’s I Ji. In the end, she walked away from her final match, while in the lead. It would have been nice for her to at least prove to herself she could win before retiring for good. And it seems like U Jin could have waited the few minutes it would take her to fire off her final shots. As a drama about sports, it would have been nice to pass the torch with a more positive message about their potential futures.
The Conclusion of 'The Winning Try'
The Ending
‘The Winning Try’ ends pretty much as you would expect a feel-good underdog sports drama to end, but in the best way. Although Ga Ram was trying to put off his dangerous surgery until after the finals, his body has other ideas. So the team goes alone, with lots of encouragement from various suupporters. Ga Ram sends over the game plan for the first half and promises to provide the second half later.
We see Ga Ram almost die on the operating table before making a miraculous recovery and, against his doctors recommendations, showing up in person to coach the final half. The team is exhilirated and that leads right into their exciting victory.
The shooting coach is fired just before U Jin’s competition, causing I Ji to give up her own victory to be U Jin’s coach. And with I Ji by her side, U Jin also wins. Once the wins are secure and Ga Ram is over the worst of his health scare, he finally proposes to I Ji, and I Ji accepts.
The Vice Principal is exposed for his evil deeds and Principal Kang returns to finish out her career. And that brings us to graduation. The team is losing three graduating players, but they gain back one when Tae Pung returns. And with their winning record, it shouldn’t be too hard to fill the rest of the roster. Seung Jun finally asks U Jin to be his girlfriend and they agree to try dating, in between their training. The drama ends with the announcement that Ga Ram has been named as the permanent head coach, with the whole student body celebrating.
My Personal Thoughts and Ratings
‘The Winning Try’ is a sports drama that offers a story of redemption and second chances. It is an uplifting, feel-good drama that focuses on relationship building. I tend to be a sucker for these kinds of underdog stories. It reminded me of ‘Racket Boys’ in themes and tone. I also loved the mini lesson on rugby, which I know nothing about!
While this drama is definitely fun, it isn’t trying for award-winning writing. The plot is fairly predictable and heavy with sports cliches. The joy lies in the team interactions and the inspirational message. If sports and high school drama aren’t your thing, you should probably skip this one. But I found it a joy to watch. I give ‘The Winning Try’ a 9 out of 10 ramen.
🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜
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