Despite leading Eastwood to a Shute Shield preliminary final this year, coach Dave Telfer was sacked with a few weeks left in the regular season. 

In a bizarre turn of events, Telfer was then appointed as head coach of Gordon a week after the Woodies season ended. 

Before that, he orchestrated a much needed rebuild at Eastwood and seems confident the club has exciting times ahead if they can retain the core of the current playing group. 

Overview with Dave Telfer:

“Two months ago, I definitely didn’t think I’d be where I am now but that’s the way things go sometimes,” Telfer told Rugby News. 

“It’s been an interesting year off the field at Eastwood, but on the field, I’m really proud of what we achieved and how much we improved. 

“We were the only club to have first and second grade in the top four and our second grade side won the competition, so it was a big step in the right direction after a challenging year in 2024. 

“Eastwood had obviously been consistently playing finals footy for a long time before that, but at the same time, they also hadn’t won a Shute Shield competition since 2015, so I agreed that we needed to try and do something different. 

“I thought we had a clear vision around the direction the club was going and we’d started to bring the next generation of quality Eastwood players through. 

“2024 was tough and we fell short of the finals, but we started seeing the results this year and I felt we were set up really well for the next few years to be honest.”

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

“It’s not for me to answer now but I do think the player deserve some really clear communication on where the club is going and when the move to the new ground is going to occur,” the departing coach said. 

“We promoted this as our last year at TG Millner and even celebrated our last game there. Then a week later, the club announced that they’d be back again in 2026. 

“That sort of thing can be really unsettling for players, who are all still fairly young and trying to work out their lives away from footy as well. 

“Whatever the plan is needs to be really clearly communicated to the players because I hope they stick together and continue what they’ve started at the club. 

“I’ll always have a soft spot for the club and particularly the players so I wish them all the best.”

Which Eastwood player deserves a crack at the next level?

“It’s been great to see James McGregor get a crack with the Waratahs in the Super Rugby AU competition. 

“Lachie Albert will also push on to professional footy at some stage. It’s just a matter of when and where in my opinion, so hopefully he stays put and has a really good year for Eastwood next year, then moves on to the next level after that.”

What are you expecting in 2026?

“I think we’ll see a few teams fall out of the top six and a few new teams push up,” Telfer said. 

“It’s hard not to imagine Easts and Warringah leading the competition again but hopefully some teams can rise to their level.”