On the back of two straight grand final appearances, Norths got hot late last year and won eight matches heading into the prelim against eventual premiers Warringah.

While the Shoremen finished up a week earlier than they would have liked, Norths coach Zak Beer has welcomed back the majority of last year’s squad and added further class ahead of the 2026 season.

Overview with Zak Beer: 

“We’ve had a good, productive summer,” Beer told Rugby News. 

“After 2024 we lost 17 of our 23 from the grand final squad to retirement or pro rugby.

“Thankfully, the group that we’ve developed have got another year together. There hasn’t been too much turnover, albeit we have promoted a couple of guys internally like Apolosi Ranawi and Brady Dawson who spent time with the Waratahs. 

“Marshall Le Maitre has also had an upgrade to his contract at the Waratahs as well which is really positive for us.

“It’s been more about guys like Josh Barr, Boston Kerapa, Matt Ryan and Seb Cameron, who came through our colts. They’re now becoming that next crop of senior players and integrating with the new guys.

Looking back at last year, I think we went maybe seven wins straight coming into the preliminary final, but we were without so many of our key guys like Nathan Russell, Sifa Amone, Matt Minogue and Max Burey.

“We still managed to find a way, but it was bitterly disappointing to go down to the Rats at Rat Park in the prelim.

“The silver lining was it showed these young guys, who are all back this year, that they were able to sustain that level for seven weeks straight.

“That’s provided a fair bit of confidence and drive for that group. They’ve come into preseason with a totally different perspective, not just playing first grade but winning and dominating.

“The new boys always bring two things — energy and competition. We’ve built some good depth this year through the grades. We’ve had a few colts come up and also guys approach us from other clubs.”

2025: 3rd

Ins: Shane Wilcox (Brumbies), Luke Gersekowski (returning), Charlie Jeavons-Fellows (returning) Angus Blyth (QLD Reds), Billy Hipperson (Durham University), Robbie McIntosh (Manly Marlins), Michael McDonald (NSW Waratahs), Matthew Bowen (Cork County/Munster), Lachie Hooper (Brumbies), Blair Tagi-Fuimaono (NRL Bulldogs), Eli Sagala (Brumbies Academy/Queanbeyan Whites), Jakob Biet (Brumbies Academy/Queanbeyan Whites)

Outs: Reece Mau’u (retired), Baden Godfrey (MLR), Michael Scott (MLR), Jack Vincent (Manly Marlins), Tom Bacon (Coventry), Theo Vukasinovic (London Scottish).

What sort of footy will we see from Norths this year? 

“Traditionally we’ve been quite an attacking team on both sides of the ball,” Beer said. 

“Nick Kellaway has done a tremendous job with our forward pack and Matt Dunning has been working closely with our scrum.

“Last year we finished with the most dominant scrum and most maul tries in the competition, which was pleasing from a Norths perspective because it’s been something we’ve been working on. 

“It’s something we’ve been focusing on with our ‘front row club’ every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for the last five years, trying to build depth and knowledge in our front row, which is a cornerstone of our game along with our defence.

“Harry Burey, who was coaching our second grade side with Sean Howell, has stepped up into the lead defence coach role this year and he’s brought a real energy to that.

“He’s a real student of the game. I speak to him five or six times a day about different tactics or ideas and you can see how much the boys want to play for him.

“Angus Sinclair was our defence coach last year and left a strong legacy that Harry will build on.”

Player(s) to watch: 

“Marshall Le Maitre is the obvious one, but Josh Barr is another player I’m really excited about. 

“He was a standout in our colts program a couple of years ago and then played second grade for a little bit. 

“That’s the natural progression you want — strong in colts, then second grade, then stepping into first grade.

“Josh got his opportunity against Manly in round one last year and finished the year as one of the more dominant midfielders in the competition.

“He earned an opportunity with Aussie Sevens at the end of the year. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder, but he’s done well in rehab and should hopefully be back around round one or shortly after.”

Who will Norths play in the grand final and why?

“I think Warringah last year did what they did well in 2017, with a combination of local juniors and strong recruitment. They’re a well coached side.

“You could see the impact of a deep bench, similar to what they had in that 2017 side, and I think they’ll be stronger this year.

“It goes without saying that clubs like Easts and Sydney Uni expect to be there every year, and from the sounds of things they’ve been busy over summer recruitment-wise so I’d expect them to be solid once again.”