After a baptism of fire in the early rounds of the 2025 Shute Shield season, Southern Districts and new coach Scott Fava found their best towards the back end of the season, winning their final three matches to take momentum into the year ahead.

Rugby News caught up with former Wallaby Fava to discuss his first year in charge at Forshaw.

Overview with Scott Fava:

“It was a big step in the right direction for the club this year but we knew from the start it was going to be tough,” first year coach Fava told Rugby News. 

“We had new coaches, a new coaching system and we only retained 33% of our playing group from the year before, so we were up against it from that regard. 

“We put a lot of emphasis on our connection as a group and we had a big focus on our attack which we hope will set us up well for the years ahead. 

“Towards the backend of the season, we got some pay for a lot of that hard work and I think the players realised they were capable of competing and winning at this level. 

“We were really proud of our last six weeks, excluding a bad performance against Hunter, and we’ve taken a lot of momentum from that. 

“We picked up Allan Ferrie from a relationship the club has built with a Scottish club named Melrose. A few of our boys are playing over there at the moment and it was great to welcome guys like Allan and Struan (Hutchison) to play alongside their mate Gav Wood, who has been at Souths for a number of years. 

“Allan had a fantastic season and almost won the Catchpole Medal. Joshy Noonan was right up there as well and Issac Kneepkens continued his strong form. 

“Allan is playing in the Championship over in the UK and were hoping to get him back when that season finishes up next year.”

What is the focus at Southern Districts between now and round one next year? 

“We’re still a very young group so we’re working hard this summer to get our player’s athletic performance up to the level it needs to be at,” Fava said. 

“We didn’t have time to focus on that last preseason, so it’s been great to see 30 of our best young players take part in an eight week block as part of our new Rebels Senior Academy. 

“The older guys have been given a longer break and we’ll trust them to put the work in when the time comes, but we’re confident we’ll have a lot more players physically capable of playing at a top six Shute Shield level next year and for many years after that.”

Which of your players deserves a crack at the next level? 

“Allan Ferrie is the obvious one. Somehow, he never got a crack over in the Scottish system but was unbelievable for us this year.

“His ability to break tackles was second to none and it’s exciting to think what he’ll gain from exposure to a professional environment over at Coventry.”

What are you expecting next season?

“The competition is always changing and the new cap system will be interesting,” Fava said. 

“We’ve got an 80% retention rate heading into next year, which is up from 33% last season. That is going to make a massive difference. 

“We are already connected as a group, the younger boys will come into preseason in really good shape, and we’ll have a full summer to take our game to the next level, which is really exciting. 

“In terms of the competition, Easts and Warringah will still be the benchmark but then there is a lot of movement at other clubs. 

“We’ve seen teams push from the bottom of the ladder to win the competition in the space of a few years, so anything is possible.”