Northern Suburbs were one of the form teams all season again in 2023, but ultimately fell short again come finals time.

Zak Beer’s side were bitterly disappointed to lose this year’s decider in a tight match against Randwick but the majority are expected to return in 2024 to chase the Shute Shield’s ultimate prize.

Overview with Northern Suburbs:

“I was really pleased with the season we had in its entirety bar that last part of the last game,” Norths coach Zak Beer told Rugby News. 

“I think the guys showed what we stand for as a team in that grand final. They went out and tried to win it and we had quite a few opportunities and moments that if things had gone differently then maybe the result would have gone our way. 

“All season though, we made sure we kept things in our control and we didn’t do that in the grand final and Randwick were good enough to capitalise. 

“We’ll reflect on that over the coming months and then I know the group will be ready to rip in and go again next year. 

“The second forty minutes I thought we were in complete control. We had the lion’s share of possession and territory and we converted that into points. 

“I thought we had really strong scrum dominance throughout the second half but only got one penalty.

“But at the end of the day, our defence had been watertight for most of the season and it wasn’t in that first half. We missed a few one on one tackles and that led to two of their tries. 

“We’ll reflect on that and try to improve for next year.”

What needs to happen at Norths between now and round one next year? 

“It’s really important for everyone to take time away and recharge. All the guys in the Shute Shield live and work full time away from rugby.

“We all have families and partners and things like that, so I encourage all of our guys to go and enjoy some time away.

“Before that, we’ve conducted one on one reviews with every player and that will allow us to go away and plan our preseason and our next 10 or so months. 

“I’ve also been in discussions with a few players who have reached out from other clubs. They’ve got in touch with us and they are keen to join the Norths’ program and it’s always pleasing when you hear directly from players because it shows we must be doing something right.”

Is there a player at your club ready to take the next step in their career?

“I think Jude Gibbs demonstrated that he has the ability to manage high pressure games at an elite level at a really young age. He has such a high ceiling of where he can get to and his mindset and his work ethic will only accelerate his development. 

“As a young playmaker, he’s someone who a Super Rugby club should be keeping a very close eye on. 

“I also thought Brodie Leber cemented himself as one of the best backrowers in the competition this year. He was a great No.8 last year but I thought this year he redefined himself quite a bit and showed he can also play as a tough, on-the-ball backrower.

“He is a dominant tackler, he makes line breaks, he carries well. He’s really versatile and I think he’d thrive in a professional setting. 

“In all honesty, I think if you look at any player in our grand final 23, everyone of those guys would do really well in a professional environment and I really hope a lot of them get that opportunity at some stage.”

What can we expect in 2024?

“As a competition, it’s only going to get stronger and tighter and I think that’s a really positive thing for rugby in NSW and Australia,” Beer said. 

“When the competition is this tight, it squeezes every bit of potential out of the players and coaches and there are no down weeks anymore. 

“From a Norths perspective, we have extremely high standards as a club and while we had a good year this year, we want to better that next year. 

“Results are always important and we want to bring silverware home, but it’s equally important that we are developing quality players and I think we’re doing that. Hopefully a number of our guys can use their time at Norths to springboard to a professional opportunity. 

“We’ll look to evolve how we play once again, as we did this year, and as a coaching group, we’re really excited about that opportunity and I’m sure once the players have a break and refresh a little, they’ll be excited to get stuck in again as well.”