After claiming a breakthrough Shute Shield premiership in 2023, Randwick looked a good chance of bringing more silverware back to Coogee Oval when they went on an eight-match winning streak towards the backend of the regular season.

But a loss to Eastwood in round 17 derailed the defending premiers top two plans, which set up a grand final rematch against a red hot Northern Suburbs’ side in this year’s preliminary final.

Overview with Steve Hoiles:

“Norths were too good in the preliminary final,” Hoiles told Rugby News.

“A few weeks earlier, we lost to Eastwood and that took the wind out of our sails a little. We lost a bit of momentum and then we ended up in a different part of the (finals) draw.

“You can’t rely on your draw, but I think we could have had a different outcome if we had of beat Eastwood and ended up higher on the ladder.

“We didn’t deserve to beat Eastwood that day, it was a good lesson, but there were a few things in the last couple of weeks that were unlike us over the last couple of years. Defensively, we were a little off.

“You’ve got to be on your game to win titles and we weren’t this time around.

“You can look back at it and say it was harder to defend the title then it was to win it for the first time but we had a lot of turnover from last year.

“Our backline was pretty similar, but we lost probably six or seven players from our forward pack who were all really important in 2023.

“The 2023 side probably had more individual talent, whereas this year’s side worked really hard for one another and it would have been a great achievement to win with this group.

“We’re on a tour in the US at the moment and played Belmont Shore over the weekend, then we head to the Aspen Ruggerfest next weekend.

“The tournament has been around for more than 50 years and we’ve had a lot of guys that have played at the club talk about how good it is.

“There’s an over 40s, 50s, and 60s division as well as Men’s and Women’s competitions and the Aspen team pick players from all around the world.

“They’re a Barbarians type side and guys like Mark Chisholm and Brad Hemopo have played with them in the past.”

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

“I think we’ve set ourselves up to be well positioned in the years ahead,” the departing coach said.

“I think it’ll be really important to see what happens with Sydney Rugby (Union) over the summer. They are going to have to make some decisions around what they want the competition to be.

“I’m not having a shot at anyone but I genuinely think the board needs to decide if they want it to be a competition that produces Waratahs and Wallabies or is it something else.

“If what happened this year continues to happen, then clubs are going to go broke trying to chase success and that would be terrible to see.

“At Randwick, I think we’ll see a bit of a different style under a new coach. Shaun (Berne) is a good mate of mine and he has a really smart rugby brain. I don’t think he’ll change things for the sake of it but I know he has strong views on how certain parts of the game should be played.

“It’s really well aligned to how we all think a Randwick side will play but it differs a little from the way I think.

“It’ll be a fresh start in a way and he’s got a really talented group to work with, so I’m excited to see what he can do.

“I think from where we are now, we need to be chasing more titles. We can’t be happy with what happened in 2023 and I think the club as a whole should aim to be in the top four in every grade then chase titles from there.”

Which of your players do you expect to push on next year? 

“A lot of our guys are capable, that’s for sure,” the coach said proudly.

“Nick Chan, Jayden Blake and Matias Jensen all have big futures in the centres.

“I thought Benny Sugars at hooker went up another gear as well this year.

“Kai Willoughby at No.9 was excellent for us this year. He’s only young but he’s got the potential to play professionally.

“It’ll be interesting to see what they do at No.10. There are a few guys like Deegs (Andrew Deegan) and (Christian) Yassmin who haven’t decided if they are going to go around again so there could be some openings there.”

What can we expect in 2025?

“I’d like to see the competition set up probably for the future,” Hoiles said.

“It’s a great competition but I genuinely fear for the lower grades if teams already aren’t fielding fourth grade sides this year.

“Teams seem to be spending too much money at the top end and that’s having an impact on our grade and colts system.

“Everyone wants to win and that’s fair enough. No one besides Easts are happy with where they finished this year.

“Every other club is looking and thinking how can we improve and that comes at a cost.

“I hope that Sydney Rugby Union has a long, hard think about what they can do to protect the competition.

“I hope we have a competition where the best team wins every year and every club has a chance to do that without spending beyond their means.

“The SRU need to decide if the Shute Shield is a top tier elite competition or is it a club competition?

“If it’s a club competition, then that means fourth grade and third grade colts and it should include females playing Jack Scott Cup, which is where we’re aiming to get to.

“It needs to be a competition where every grade matters, not just the teams playing at 3pm. That’s what makes club rugby unique compared to any other sport or competition in the world.

“A Grade rugby league is no where near what club rugby is because they don’t have B, C and D grades playing before them.

“I really want to see clubs prioritise all grades, not just first grade.”