After finishing 2023 as one of the form teams of the competition, hopes were high for West Harbour in their season season under coach Cam Treloar.

But injuries and fatigue plagued the Pirates this year, in what turned out to be a fairly disappointing year at Concord.

Overview with Cam Treloar: 

“It was a very disappointing season and unfortunately, I learnt a heap of lessons from mistakes I made this year. I would have rather learn from successes but that wasn’t the case for us in 2024,” Treloar told Rugby News. 

“We probably stalled this year and we were guilty of trying to recreate our 2023 season, which was a mistake and that led to a really disappointing season.  

“You never want to blame injuries but we had some key injuries early in the season and we never really got a settled team on the park this year which impacted our combinations. 

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“We just seemed to be chasing our tail all season and it’s too tough a competition to do that in. 

“The club is probably ready now to shift their mentality. Our major focus this year was trying to field four teams and we were able to do that and build some really good depth across the club. But a byproduct of that, is we probably neglected our top end a little and that cost us. 

“The club’s back at a point where they can focus on the top end. We’ve got the depth and the numbers and we’re not fighting the same battle we were battling a few years ago when we were struggling to field a fourth grade. 

“We had fresh reserves in every grade all year, so the numbers are there. But unfortunately, that came at the expense of our high performance.”

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

“I think Phil Blake will be fantastic for the club and bring a hard edge that is needed. He’s a defence focussed coach and if you look across the last few seasons, the teams with the best defence have been successful,” Treloar said.

“It’s great to have a slick attack, but if you’re leaking more points than you’re scoring, you can’t win games. 

“He’s going to get them fit and I think he’ll be really good for the place.”

Which of your players do you think can push on next season? 

“Hunter Hannaford went on a big trip and missed most of preseason last year,” Treloar explained.

“I think if he can get a full preseason under his belt, he can take another big step forward. 

“If Scott King doesn’t go back to Scotland and if he can get his body right, he could make a big impact as well.

“He is one of those players that got injured early in the season but when he came back towards the end of year, he was really dominant. 

“In the forwards, Liam Ward has a huge amount to offer. He came in halfway through the season and stamped his authority on the competition as a genuine lock. There aren’t many genuine locks floating around. 

“There is a core group at the club, including guys like Drew Sellars and Bertie Alcock, that if they stick together, they’ll have a lot of success.

“We’ve just got to make sure they stick together.”

What can we expect in 2025? 

“I’ll still be watching the Shute Shield every week,” Treloar said. 

“I’ll watch John Dent I Cup live on a Saturday, then I’ll be watching replays of the Shute Shield every week to keep an eye on players. 

“We’ve got Vaotangi Mafi training down with the Brumbies for a four week block at the moment and he’s a great example of a player that has the ability but just needs exposure to the next level. 

“I think he will flourish in a professional environment and there are so many players like him across the Shute Shield that could do the same and I’m hoping to give of them an opportunity to prove themselves in Canberra. 

“If West Harbour keep their group together, they’ll definitely move up the ladder. 

“The club has the goal to win the competition in three years and when you look at Easts and Warringah, they finished towards the bottom of the ladder last year and were back at the top 12 months later. 

“It’s definitely doable. I heard Ivan Cleary say this the other day, but you’ve just got to be willing to pay the price and if West Harbour gets that mentality, they’ve got the potential to be anything.”