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. 

“It was disappointing to play 100 minutes in a preliminary final and then lose (to Eastwood). To play a grand final against Gordon, that would have been pretty special but Eastwood deserved to win on the day, we just weren’t good enough. 

“It’s certainly lit a fire amongst the group. They’ve worked really hard over summer to evolve our game tactically, technically and mentally as well. It’s given the boys that steely edge to give it a really good crack come round one. 

“It’s extremely exciting to coach a first grade Shute Shield side. This year will be my 11th consecutive season involved in the Shute Shield. 

“I’ve worked under some really good coaches over the last decade and I think I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t and have been able to form my own style and philosophies around coaching. 

“Being involved with the group last year is also really beneficial because we’ve been able to carry through a lot of the things that worked for us in 2020. 

“There are also a heap of areas that we didn’t get to touch on in a shortened season last year so we can hopefully evolve and add layers to our game throughout the season. 

“I’m also really excited to work with our colts group this year. We’ve got some really good talent coming through and there is going to be really strong depth across our seven grades and our women’s team.”

2020: Semi finalists

Ins: Tyler Kearns (New Zealand), Brodie Leber (Canberra), Jeremy Burrell (Newcastle), Jacob Flynn (Wales 7s), James Turner (West Harbour), DP de Lange (West Harbour), Josh Petero (West Harbour). 

Outs: Nick Palmer (retired), Jayden Lynch (Perth). 

Key areas of improvement: 

“Clearly the set piece was an issue for us last year. We’ve brought in Ben Matwijow and Simon Johnson to look after our forwards and they’ve already created a lot more clarity around what is required there. 

“That’s been a real focus for us over the offseason then we’ve just looked to add to our game so that we have more tools at our disposal throughout the season.”

Player(s) to watch: 

“Max Burey in his first season of first grade Shute Shield, at the age of 21, he demonstrated his ability and after spending the summer training with the Waratahs, I think he’s going to show just how good he is this year. 

“He’s a real student of the game and he applies himself in every area. He’ll go to another level this year and he adds a bit of a different dynamic to the competition as both a running and ball playing fullback. 

“I’m also really excited to watch James Turner this year. He was the competition’s top tryscorer when he was at Wests and he’s really looking forward to play on the end of our backline. 

“In the forwards, Brodie Leber could certainly stamp his mark as one of the competition’s top backrowers.

“I also thought Brad Hemopo had a great season last year. He took his game to a new level in 2020 and has stepped up as a leader ahead of this season. He’s already shown plenty in our trial games so far.”

Bold prediction for the season ahead: 

“The Shute Shield somehow keeps getting tighter every year with more and more teams putting their hands up as title contenders. 

“For us, we are always looking for improvement so our semi final finish is probably the baseline and we want to be improving on that result this year. As an aspirational club, we want to be getting better in every part of our game. 

“Looking at the wider competition, you’re going to see more teams throw their hat in the ring to play finals and to win the competition. It’s going to be really tight again, which makes it really exciting.”