Eastern Suburbs took plenty of momentum into last year’s finals but were beaten by grand finalists Eastwood and Gordon in back to back weeks. 

Coach Pauli Taumoepeau knows his side missed an opportunity last year but thinks the club is doing everything it can to avoid something similar at the backend of this season. 

Overview with Pauli Taumoepeau: 

“Our preparation has been okay so far. We had our first trial on the weekend in the wet and that was really interesting. I think there was a period of the game where it just became a physical activity, rather than a game of rugby but it was good to get a game in against Manly,” Taumoepeau said. 

“There are a lot of new faces at the club and with better weather, it would have been nice to get a chance to give certain players more time, but there’s nothing we could do about that. 

“Looking back at last year, it’s always disappointing when you don’t finish a season with a trophy. 

“We had really high expectations last year and even with the few injuries that we picked up in the last few rounds, I thought we had enough to go on and challenge, but we were beaten by a tactically strong Eastwood team and then a red hot Gordon side. 

“There was a moment in the game against Gordon where we could have gone two tries ahead but we didn’t take our opportunities and they made us pay. 

“They did that all season long. Even in games where they weren’t at their best, they’d still have a 15 minute period of brilliance where they just blew teams away. 

“It was disappointing to be outclassed in the final two games of the season. 

“We’ve recruited (former Southern Districts and Brothers’ flyhalf) Rohan Saifoloi to play No.10. 

“We’ve got a few young No.10s coming through at the club but we wanted a guy with plenty of experience to lead that first grade side and to also work with and teach our younger playmakers. 

“We’ve already seen the class and experience that Rohan adds through the preseason. He’s just been around rugby for a long time and played in some really strong teams. 

“In his younger days, he had to lead a Southern Districts team that had a handful of Wallabies running around for them, so there wouldn’t have been a lot of room for error for a young kid playing No.10. We can see the effects of that already. 

“We also had a few Two Blues boys walk in to the club and that was a really stressful experience. We really didn’t want it to seem like we were poaching players from Western Sydney and that wasn’t the case and fortunately the guys at Western Sydney understood that.”

2020: Semi finalists (lost to Gordon)

Ins: Rohan Saifoloi (Brothers) Nick Jooste (Brumbies/Force), Tuitakau Kiao (Two Blues), Sione Fifita (Two Blues), Kalafi Pongi (Two Blues), Irie Papuni (Two Blues).

Outs: Lindsay Stevens (MLR), Archer Holtz (Brumbies), Tom Staniforth (France), Jack Grant (Waratahs), Sam Shires (retired). 

Key areas of improvement:

“We got exposed with our tactical kicking in our last two games. That was an area that we didn’t execute at the backend of the season. 

“We haven’t tried to flip it completely to become this champion kicking team, but it’s definitely been an area that we’ve focused on. We don’t want to be attacking with the ball in hand for too long at a time. Then when we do kick, it needs to be positive. 

“Our lineout also needs to improve. Last year, we had good strike in our first phase attack but our lineout percentage was one of the lowest in the competition, which meant we couldn’t use it to launch our attack. 

“If we got a penalty, Dan Donato would knock it within 10 metres of the tryline but then we’d lose the lineout. That was a killer and something we need to avoid this year. 

Player(s) to watch: 

“I think Jack Digby probably deserves a lot more recognition than he is currently getting. The kid works really hard and I think we’ll see the best of him this year. 

“He spent a bit of time with the Melbourne Rebels last year and I think he understands now the level that he needs to be at to play professional rugby. He’ll be one to watch. 

“He spent a few seasons coming in and out of first grade but then earned his spot last year and ended up winning our best and fairest for the season.”

Bold prediction for the season ahead: 

“Newcastle are going to be the big improvers, I’ll jump right on that bandwagon. 

“To be honest, there seems to be a bit of negativity around Newcastle recruiting hard to build their side up there but I don’t understand what people expect them to do. 

“They’re trying to build a competitive Shute Shield team, while also respecting the local Newcastle competition.

“If anything, a strong Newcastle team just adds to the competition and I think that’s fantastic. 

“I think Souths will also move up the ladder. They had a horrible run with injuries last year and that allowed them to give a heap of younger guys first grade experience. They are really well coached and if they can stay fit and healthy, they’ll be up there. 

“For us, we compete to win the comp every year. I want Easts to be a club where if we don’t win a premiership, it’s considered a bad season. Similar to a Sydney Uni. 

“That obviously puts pressure on us but that’s the type of club we want to be and we think we’re getting closer to it.”