When you are coming off a one and 17 Shute Shield season that saw one head coach moved on, it’s the little things that need some attention.

Like not leaking points (they conceded 773 in 2025), being rugby fit and having that mentality to grind out those championship minutes that decide games at this level.

Being connected on and off the field and at the end of the day giving back to the community and just being good people.

Welcome to the world of West Harbour coach Ben Rutherford as he prepares his side for that shot at redemption every club covets at this time of the year.

Looking at the raw numbers 2025 could only be described as a train crash, but there were some positives amongst the stumbles last season, Rutherford told Rugby News.

“We finished the season with the number one lineout, the third best scrum and we were among the least penalised teams in the Shute Shield,” Rutherford said.

“And there were eight games where we were down by five points or less at halftime and ended up losing.

“So there were contests where we were in the fight but teams ran over the top of us late and that comes down to our conditioning not being anywhere near where it needed to be.

“Yes our defence last year was abysmal,” Rutherford added.

“So getting some clarity around what we are trying to do (in defence), how we’re doing it, why we’re doing it has been essential.”

This time through though it’s apparent that the club reflects the community that they play for at Concord Oval and that’s important.

“We’re probably the most culturally diverse club in Sydney, so we’ve got a really good mix of Pasifika players from Tonga, Samoa & Fiji. Welsh, French, Canadian, Kiwis, Aussies, our captain last year was Romanian, so its pretty diverse mix there, so connection is key.

A major step on this journey happened at the club’s top group camp on the south coast at Kiama.

They weren’t trekking mountains. They were climbing into each other’s stories. Talking about family. Heritage. The stuff beneath the jersey.

Some revelations stayed at camp—private, powerful—but something shifted. You could feel it in the way they trained when they came back. Tighter. Sharper. Hungry.

“More than anything, our willingness to stay in the fight, and ride out the momentum swings that happen in games needs to be better,” Rutherford added.

“We’ve been pretty honest with the group, so complete transparency about where we are at has been essential.

“I want them, particularly the guys new to the club, to understand where we’re at and what we want to do and also not shy away from the fact that last year was not what it should have been.”

Every head coach loves a talisman and for Rutherford that man is returning prop Cameron Orr.

Most recently Orr has been playing in the MLR with Seattle and is keen to come back and give back to the club where it all began.

He’s a corner stone that the Pirates can build on and a steady voice on the field when things get messy. Clear direction. No ego.

Others that will contribute include centre Sione Taufui and Canadian lock Kaden Duguid.

New names make a difference but Rutherford’s first reaction to last season was to make sure that not many looked elsewhere.

“Our challenge has been to set up the club for sustained success – I’m not interested in in a quick spike,” Rutherford said.

“I’m trying to do it the right way; we’re learning to ride the bike while moving — so it’s going to be a journey. Growing and building at the same time – which is a really exciting challenge.”

“It’s essential that anyone we bring into the club is a good person, first and foremost, and of course playing rugby to a certain level is obviously pretty important.

“But we just don’t want people who are going to be poison or create distractions because we don’t have time for it.”

Helping with the heavy lifting on the coaching front includes attack guru Chris Siale, the well-travelled Joel Rivers and club sounding board Mark Gudmunson.

Importantly Shane McLeod is back in charge of athletic performance and the whole club has reacted well to the new regime.

On top of that Stephen James is doing skills sessions on a more regular basis whilst juggling his commitments at the NRL Bulldogs.

It’s only preseason. No one has missed selection. No one has lost a match. But it feels different at Concord.