After falling just short in the 2020 decider, Eastwood were in the mix last season when the competition was cancelled.

Ben Batger has retained the majority of his squad from last season and will be eager to bring another trophy back to TG Milner.

Overview with Ben Batger: 

“It’s exciting to be back into it again. Everything looks good so far, but I guess it always does at this point of the season,” Batger told Rugby News. 

“It’s been a difficult preseason. You seem to lose a few players every week to Covid, then we had all the rain that impacted training but we’ve managed to make it work by training all over the place, at TG (Milner) and away. 

“Now we’re into the trials. We’ve had some good hit outs against Gordon and Uni and we’ve got one more to come against Norths, so it’s all tracking pretty well. 

“I’m lucky that I’ve got an extremely driven group. Regardless if they’re trying to get a professional contract, or if they want to make up for the 2020 grand final, all the guys are motivated to get better and that’s the main focus of this squad. 

“We just want to get better every week and I feel if we do that, then we’ll be right in the hunt at the back end of the season. 

“We’ve got a number of boys playing Super Rugby, which is fantastic. My approach has been to prepare a squad without those boys included, then if we do get them back, then it’s a bonus. 

“At the moment, I’m confident that I’ve got 20 guys that can do a job and then if we get the other boys back, then we’re going to be strong and have plenty of depth.”

2021 position (after 10 rounds): 4th – 6 wins from 9 matches

Ins: James Wayland (Southern Districts), Jordan Sharp (West Harbour), Komiti Tuilagi (Manly), Wayne Borsack (Warringah). 

Outs: Rhys Sheriff (QLD), Pat Sio (injury), Barton Picone (retired), Devon Stoltz (retired). 

Key areas of improvement:

“No doubt, it’s our defence. We’ve dedicated a lot of time and resources over summer because we felt last year that we were a little behind on that side of the ball. 

“If you want to win the big one, you need to be in the top two or three defensive teams in the competition and we haven’t been there in recent years. 

“We’re looking to be a little more offensive with our defence. We had a really strong defensive line last year and a really high tackle percentage but we didn’t cause enough turnovers or create enough pressure, so we need to be a little more aggressive in defence.”

Player(s) to watch: 

“Lachlan Shelley is one of our outside backs who has been in and around first grade for the last few years,” Batger said. 

“He’d have to be one of the fastest rugby players in Australia. His times over 40 metres are incredible. 

“Ed Craig is an interesting one. He’s been in and around Super Rugby for a few years now and he’s started the trials really well. 

“He’s technically in his prime, at 25-26, so I’m expecting a lot from him this year. 

“We’ve also got a backrower who has played mostly in the lower grades named Eric Tauiliili, who happens to be Enoki Muliufi’s cousin. He’s a tough abrasive backrower who could help us fill the void left by Patty Sio’s injury. 

Bold prediction for season ahead: 

“It’s not really Shute Shield related, but I think Darren Coleman will start to look outside of the east of Sydney to find Super Rugby players, which is long overdue,” Batger said. 

“Norths, Gordon, us, Souths. It’s pretty obvious that most of the Waratahs come from Randwick, Sydney Uni or Easts but I think DC will start to look a little wider which is great for the competition.”