We’re halfway through the 2024 Shute Shield regular season and Warringah and Easts, two sides that missed the finals last year, both sit in the top three.

With no rugby over the June long weekend, we thought we’d check in with each of the 12 coaches to find out how they are travelling after nine rounds and what they are expecting in the months ahead.

Next up, Hunter, Randwick & Southern Districts.

Hunter with Scott Coleman – 10th (4 wins, 5 losses)

How would you describe your first half of the season? 

“Not good enough to be honest,” Coleman told Rugby News.

“We have had a lot of injuries in the forwards but that should not be any excuse.

“We always knew we would start slower than last year but we definitely have to get ourselves in order now as it’s crunch time.”

What do you need to improve on in the weeks ahead? 

“Execution and detail are the main things. We are just not clinical enough are the right times of the game yet. Plus we’ve got to play our game and stop letting other sides dictate things.”

Who is the most influential player in the competition and why? 

“Kurtley Beale by far. He only got to play one Shute Shield game and unfortunately it was against us,” Coleman said.

“But it was an amazing learning experience for our players.

“Now it would have to be Teddy Wilson. He adds at least easy 14 to 21 points for Eastern Suburbs when he plays.”

Which two teams will play in the grand final and why? 

“Hunter Wildfires will be there that’s for sure,” Coleman said.

“I think we’ll play either Randwick, Easts or Gordon

“Give us any of them, we don’t care.”

Randwick with Stephen Hoiles – 5th (5 wins, 4 losses)

How would you describe your first half of the season? 

“We’ve had some mixed results but we’ve performed fairly consistently in most of our games,” Hoiles said.

“We’ve had some good challenges to learn from after a couple of losses as well and have had several players make their first grade debuts.”

Who is the most influential player in the competition and why? 

“I honestly can’t single one player out. There is a lot of quality right across the competition.”

Which two teams will play in the grand final and why? 

“We’ll play whoever wins the other major semi final,” Hoiles joked.

“In all seriousness though, it’s way too early to tell.

“At the moment, it looks like there are probably going to be two or three really good teams that won’t make the finals so the first challenge is to make sure we’ve not one of them.

“It’s way too early to predict anything past that though.”

Southern Districts with Joe Barakat – 11th (2 wins, 7 losses)

How would you describe your first half of the season? 

“We’ve been disappointed with our start to the season,” the veteran coach said.

“We’ve lost seven of nine games and in six of those seven, we beat ourselves.

“We have been in most of the contests but have failed to stick to our plan and that has hurt us.”

What do you need to improve on in the weeks ahead? 

“We need to improve our ability to stick to our game plans and execute effectively our attacking raids.”

Who is the most influential player in the competition and why? 

“Coby Miln has kept the scoreboard ticking over at Warringah so far this season and is a big reason why they are leading the competition.”

Which two teams will play in the grand final and why? 

“Warringah and Easts.”