After falling on the first weekend of the finals again in 2024, Gordon coach Harry Fehily says his group is capitalise on the club’s current premiership window.

Fehily has added depth to his squad over the summer and has made some exciting additions to his roster from both within and abroad.

Overview with Harry Fehily:

“We changed things up quite a bit this year and had a much shorter preseason,” Fehily told Rugby News. 

“We gave the players the responsibility to do the first part of what would have been preseason on their own and take a longer break away from the training field to try and give them as much of a mental break as possible. 

“Most of the guys did really well with it, a few needed a kick up the bum, but overall I’d say the guys seem really fresh. 

“We’re probably ahead of where we were at this same point last season, marginally, but at this stage, touch wood, we’re in a much healthier position from an injury perspective.

“Looking back at last year, we were competitive. We lost quite a lot of depth across the grades after 2023 but our numbers have bounced back again. At the start of last year, we probably had 80 or so players in grade, whereas this year we’ve got 140. 

“It’s been a rebuilding process but I’m pleased with our depth is at the moment. 

“We’ve also got quite a few players pushing towards the end of their Shute Shield careers, there’s no qualms about it. 

“They want to try and finish the job, and it’s probably about time they do, so there has been some pretty honest conversations within the group over the last couple of weeks, 

“I know they’ve got the capacity to do it, it’s just whether they’re willing to go and put the work in that’s needed to be successful. 

“On the other side of things, we’ve also got some exciting young guys coming up into grade and a few guys from overseas who I think will be good additions to the squad.”

2024: 4th (lost to Randwick in opening week of finals)

Ins: Jake Tierney (UQ), Archie Hosking (UK), Tevita Ahokovi (Tonga / NZ), Jack Hardy (Gungahlin), Levi Milford (Samoa 7s), Conor Hickey (Warringah) Otumaka Mausia (Moana Pasifika)

Outs: Jack Margin (Retired), Jay Fonokalafi (NZ), Alex Humphrey (Manly), Nathanial Panozzo (Sydney Uni), Ben Pollack (MLR), Pat Pellegrini (Moana Pasifika)

What sort of rugby will we see from Gordon this season? 

“We started the process of trying to bring more ball movement into the group last year, so that will probably continue to develop,” the coach said. 

“But we’ve also put a massive emphasis on defence, so you’ll probably see a far more aggressive defence than you’ve seen in the last couple of years. 

“If we’re going to play with more ball movement, we’ve also got to have better ruck speed, so we’ve spent some time on that as well.”

Player(s) to watch:

“Liam Usher needs to get a professional contract,” Fehily said. 

“He’s a prop that came to us last year and trimmed down quite a bit. He hasn’t lost weight or size, he’s just turned into a ball of muscle. 

“When I think of which player in the squad could get a professional contact next, he’s probably the first guy I think of. 

“Outside of that, I think Tevita Ahokovi is also an exciting player. He played four Tests for Tonga in the most recent Autumn Series last year and he’s been impressive since joining us.”

Which two teams will play in this year’s grand final and why? 

“Us and Easts,” Fehily said categorically. 

“I’ll leave it at that.”