by Paul Cook - 2012 was the most successful 1st grade performance in years for Northern Suburbs, going within one match of the Grand Final when they went down to eventual champions Sydney University. Stoic defence was the bedrock of the side and they appeared to have the platform from which the addition of only a few subtle layers were required to get them to their first title decider since 1998. The ramifications of that success – in terms of the team’s ongoing progress as a unit - is that it puts the players in the shop window, and pretty soon, Shoremen were a wanted commodity. As such, 2013 proved to be disruptive, with players who were on the fringes of Super Rugby squads coming and going and leaving coach Scott Fava with plenty of selection headaches. Add to that the loss of their 2012 kingpin, Dave Harvey, to Warringah and a side that had promised so much before