Shute Shield Season Preview: EASTERN SUBURBS with Campbell Aitken
by Paul Cook -
Eastern Suburbs flew under the radar a little bit in 2013. Losing as many games as they won, consistency was their Achilles heel but a late run of victories saw them bag a creditable 6th place on the ladder. They then went on to despatch Norths in the first week of the finals before going out of the competition in a tight one to Manly a week later, but with a mix of young talent and a few old heads, it seemed as though they had a platform from which to build on for the seasons to come.
As it panned out, three of those old heads departed in the off-season with Andrew Shaw and Rob McMickan hanging up the boots and skipper Pauliasi Taumoepeau calling time on an injury blighted career that prevented him from attaining the heights his talents deserved. It’s left them with a dearth of experience to try and overcome and with the departure of three 1st graders to