BY MARK CASHMAN

I’m sure you’ve seen all those reels on socials in recent times about the many tasks that add up to the job of a rugby coach.

You know the ones – psychologist, doctor, gear steward, diary supervisor, dietician and then there’s all the rugby stuff.

Most of the good Shute Shield coaches Saturdays begin early taking in some of the lower grades and making sure the base of the pyramid is in working order.

Yes it’s a taxing job with more than one team to worry about.

So as the search widens for the new Waratahs coach in the wake of Dan McKellar’s departure last weekend you’ve got to ask the question do we need to go “worldwide” to find our new man.

Australian U20s coach Chris Whitaker appears to be the front runner but there is a wealth of talent at Shute Shield level.

Ben Batger (Easts) and Josh Holmes (Warringah) have recent results on the board but the well has some depth to it.

John Manenti (Sydney Uni) and Zak Beer (Norths) also have plenty of merit with the Norths mentor getting a tick of approval from Sea Eagles NRL boss Kieran Foran.

Manenti’s CV isn’t that shabby either with premierships at Eastwood, the Aussie 7s gig and the head coach role at the San Diego Legion in the MLR.

The head coaching role at a Super Rugby side is different but the decision makers owe it to the competition to robustly work their way through the Shute Shield contenders.

There may even be a diamond in the rough just like the NRL Sea Eagles have found.

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Waratahs backrower Angus Scott-Young it must be said does things differently a lot of the time and I’m sure there were a vast range of opinions when it emerged that he was leaving the Two Blues.

Throw in the fact that he was keen to link with Sydney Uni for the rest of this season and you can predict the feedback.

That was blocked by the SRU who said that they wouldn’t approve any move unless it was to a bottom six club.

But let’s work our way through a few things and you will better understand what is going on here.

Scott-Young has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Science degrees with a GPA of 7 from Uni of Queensland (which is pretty damn good I’m told) and at one stage was short listed for a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford.

He flew back from Northampton for the final five interviews Rhodes Scholarship but just missed out which is a huge tick for the CV.

Scott-Young has in part been inspired by former Wallaby skipper Dr Mark Loane who combined his rugby with medical studies and is now a highly-respected opthalmic surgeon.

Medicine was always an end goal for Scott-Young and it seems now is as good a time as any.

Sydney Uni is as good a place as any to get that degree and if he can leverage some of the HECS debt away through a scholarship while playing rugby who would say no?

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There are all sorts of in-coming talent in the Shute Shield at the moment with Randwick waiting for up to six clearances from the MLR to bolster their run at the playoffs.

That further muddies the middle section of the competition table with less than a win separating fifth spot from 10th.

These next few weeks will be vital for playoff aspirants.

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Success in the Shute Shield is generally judged by the wins and losses columns on the competition table.

But there are times when clubs in the lower reaches of the table can sit back and bask in the glow as West Harbour can do this week.

The Pirates have been recognised by the City of Canada Bay Council as the area’s Sporting Group of the Year.

The award reflects so much more than what happens on the field.

“It recognises our commitment to mental health, inclusion, community partnerships and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds and abilities to feel connected through rugby,” a spokesman told Around The Traps.

“This recognition belongs to all at the club and is a reflection of the culture we’ve built together.”

The focus now is to turn all that good into results. The journey continues.

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Gordon coach Dave Telfer spoke to my Rugby News colleague Jonathan B. Geddes earlier this week as he prepared to head back to TG Millner on Saturday.

There will be some trepidation as he heads down Vimiera Rd and turns left into one of the Shute Shield’s most famous grounds.

After all the biggest story of the off-season was the defection of a couple of handfuls of players from the Woodies to the Highlanders.

Five of those players will play for Gordon this weekend and the theatre that that sets up will be well worth the cost of admission.

But Telfer told Geddes that everyone had moved on from the obvious angst that was created.

“I genuinely am grateful to Eastwood for giving me the opportunity to coach first grade, but I will say I have settled back into Gordon really quickly,” Telfer told Geddes.

That said it will be required viewing especially to see where the early exchanges lead to.

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Back to Easts day at Woollahra Oval is always an occasion and I must say that it attracted the good and the great as well as the not so great last Saturday.

Putting 20 wins on the trot at home base always gives the crowd a bit of a lift and that was very much the case when the Beasties went on a tear against Randwick winning 47-7.

Our man at the game Bob Wilson of ‘Wilso’s Whispers’ fame back in the day had a cracking afternoon working the room.

“There were memories from many decades …. stories galore, familiar faces and some not so recognisable,” the great man told this column.

The list of legends kicked off with a couple of Roosters, Angus Crichton and Hugo Savala in the crowd, while former ARU boss John O’Neill made the trek in from Avalon for the day.

I’m told ‘JON’ wasn’t wearing his famous red pants that he wore to the airport to move Wallaby coach Greg Smith on all those years ago.

Throw into that mix Jim Tate, John McKay, Steve Goddard, John Blondin, Peter Shipway, Rob McCormick and Scott Van Houten to name just a few and you’re in for a big day.