Penrith start the 2020 Shute Shield season with a tough run of games that includes a bye in round one, Southern Districts, Northern Suburbs, Sydney Uni and Randwick.

No easy task but they are hoping to take the learnings from that “month from hell” and play some winning footy in the back end of the season.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but the Emus are working hard to get it all together in 2020 to underline their credentials for inclusion in the 2021 Shute Shield.

Rugby News caught up with Emus head coach JOHN MUGGLETON as kick off looms.

WHAT LIES AHEAD:
We are all aware of the task that we have playing in the Shute Shield this year and all at the club and rugby in the west of Sydney want to make this thing a real goer.

So it’s going to be a long season of improvement and development.

We will face our demons in the first month or so when we take on the top end of the competition in teams like Northern Suburbs, Southern Districts, Sydney Uni and Randwick so we will have to be strong and resilient.

The plus side from that tough start to the season is that there will be many lessons and we will improve both physically and mentally for the back half of the year.

That is where I hope that our community and the rugby community in general get to see some glimpses of what is happening out here.

COMINGS AND GOINGS:
Lots of ins here obviously and there has been a wave of guys coming across from the local rugby league competition which has been cancelled because of the Covid-19 restrictions.

We weren’t able to approach any of our past players who had already registered elsewhere so that brought down the pool of talent available.

But we have what we have and we are working hard with that roster.

WHERE WE’LL NEED TO IMPROVE:
We are really starting from ground zero on all this stuff and we will need to improve all over there park but there are three areas that I think that we need to concentrate on.

First up is the set piece, both scrum and lineout with and without the ball, so that we can make sure that we have at least an even share of possession.

Second is something very special to me and that is a tough and structured defence so that we can limit the opportunities that the teams we play have.

The third is our fitness so that we are there in games between the 60th minute and the 80th minute.

That has been the area where past teams here at Penrith have dropped away so we want to keep on competing, getting off the ground and being in the game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It’s very early in the season but there are a three guys who I think will do well for us.

They are Jale Seninawanawa, an outside back with plenty of gas, Andrew Fiagatusa who plays in the back row and is good on defence and can carry the ball. The other is Delahoya Manu who can play hooker and open side breakaway.

HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR 2020:
There is no doubt that we have been thrown a pretty tough assignment coming in at short notice to play in the Shute Shield.

But for the good of the game in Sydney’s west we have to grow and be competitive at the back end of the season and throw down a marker to earn a spot in the 2021 Shute Shield competition.

That is obviously easily said but a lot harder to execute but we are in there having a red hot go.

OUR BIG IMPROVERS WILL BE:
Rugby is a game that you cannot win without having the ball and the forwards are the guys who have go to go out there and get it – and then hang on to it.

We have been working hard with all of our forwards and even at this early stage I can see some major improvements.

Once we get a few more games under our belts and a lot more time on the training track they will be able to compete for longer which will mean that we will be in games for longer.

And when that happens good things come your way!

WHO WILL YOUR TEAM PLAY IN THE GRAND FINAL?
I’m going to be a bit Nostradamus here and say that we will play the might of Sydney Uni – not this year but in 2023.