The message is clear. Irish Women's rugby is improving and the structures in place are only going to help Ireland as they go in search of improving on last year's third-place finish in the Championship.
Last year Ireland opened their account with a thumping loss away to France, a 24-0 whitewash that marked Griggs' first taste of the competition. Twelve months on and the task is hardly any easier; a home encounter with a fully professional England outfit.
The green shoots however are visible. After a short build-up to the Six Nations last year, Griggs welcomed the first ever Women's Autumn internationals as a means for further time in camp.
Defeats to fourth in the world USA, where Ireland were outscored three tries to two, and away to world number two England was their lot, but it was all about building for the future.
"The November internationals were great for us because we spent extra time in camp even before those matches," Griggs explained to RTÉ Sport.
"It meant also that there was less time that we had between December and January. Players were still able to train away by themselves and had a bit of a mental break before coming back in for January."
To the untrained eye it may have just appeared as two losses, but Griggs is adamant playing sides above them in the pecking order can only help in moving in the right direction.
"They were definitely some tough games for us, but that is what we wanted. We want to be able to test ourselves against the best. We certainly looked at the last game against England at Twickenham and while we didn't get the result in that game, there were massive strides in our performance and we want to build on that.
"Of course we want to win each game of rugby, but we have put an emphasis on becoming a side that are really hard to beat. When teams come up against Ireland, they know they are in for a tough game."
Captain Ciara Griffin was one of the key figures last term and will again be a leader from the backrow.
Echoing the setiments of her coach, she says it is an upward curve for a team chasing a first title since 2015
"I can see a massive difference in the squad, both collectively and individually. Everyone is accountable for their own performances. We have made strides in how we want to play."
