A young Shore first XV side took a massive step forward last season but struggled at times to close out tight matches.

A number of players from last year's side are back for a second crack this season and coach Angus Sinclair is confident his side will be right in the mix again.

Overview with Angus Sinclair: 

“We’re a long way ahead of where we were at this point last year,” Sinclair, a Shute Shield winning flyhalf at Northern Suburbs, told Rugby News.

“We only played three trial games last year and we were underprepared heading in to round one as a result.

“This year, we started scrimmages earlier and started playing trials earlier to try and build a bit more cohesion before the season starts.