Northern Suburbs came agonisingly close to a spot in last year’s grand final but couldn’t quite get past Eastwood in an extra time thriller at a wet and wild Rat Park.

Young, well credentialed coach Zak Beer has taken the reigns at North Sydney Oval after serving his apprenticeship as an assistant and inherits arguably one of the most talented squads ahead of the 2021 Shute Shield season.

Overview with Zak Beer:

“Things are looking really good at this stage. The benefit of retaining the vast majority of our squad from 2020 means that we’ve been able to continue to roll on and build on what we did in last year,” Beer told Rugby News.

“We’ve also added a few new faces to the group and they will add some variety to how we play as well. That’s the goal this year, to add layers to the way we attack and defend as a team.

“Our preseason was a bit different. We gave the guys November and December off after finishing in late October and only started training together after Christmas.

“It’s been a bit of a sprint, this preseason, but I know all the boys are in good shape and really looking forward to round one.