By MARK CASHMAN

We’ve got to the big dance, the grand final of the Shute Shield competition and the phone has been ringing hot with all the news and views from the greatest club competition in Australia. Here’s what we are hearing: 

The end of the Shute Shield is a little bit sad in a way but it does signal that it’s time to look back and see what has been in what has been a crazy season.

At one stage it didn’t look like we would get any sort of meaningful season because of the pandemic and all the associated restrictions and border closures.

But thank God we did and the effect throughout the rugby community in NSW has been nothing but positive.

So here are a few awards that Rugby News thought needed mentioning.

First up, coach of the year goes to the workaholic Gordon boss DARREN COLEMAN who dragged the Highlanders to the top of the tree as minor premiers and into the big dance.

He knows how to surround himself with the right people – both coaching and playing – and will be sorely missed next year when he is plying his trade in Major League Rugby next year in LA.  

Club of the year goes to GORDON after not only their effort in first grade but also being the first club other than Sydney Uni to take out the club championship in 16 years.

What a great effort.

Lots of great rookies in the competition this year but the one that stood out was Eastwood’s TANE  EDMED, the young flyhalf.

Best newcomer would have to be the Hunter Wildfires who came into the competition on a little over a month’s notice and competed from the first whistle in Round One to full time in Round 13.

SCOTT COLEMAN is a talented coach who delivers first class stuff up there in Newcastle and hopefully all the bits come together for them to play again in 2021.

Finally I couldn’t separate Gordon’s RODNEY IONA and Norths HARRY BUREY as our players of the year.

Iona drove Gordon throughout the year and Burey was the bloke Norths gave the ball to when there wasn’t much on.

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The shiny bald head has been part of the Sydney and Australian rugby scene for more than decade so it’s sad to report that Eastwood prop JED GILLESPIE is retiring at the end of the Shute Shield grand final against Gordon on Saturday.

Gillespie has been at the heart of much of the success at the Woods through his time at the club and he actually played in the 2015 side that beat Manly in the premiership decider on a grey and wet old day at Concord Oval.

That was the last time the Woods won the first grade title and it’s interesting to note that the fullback that day was Eastwood coach BEN BATGER.

Gillespie has a legal background and has been working with Ultra Management, a sports management firm headed up by Sam Ayoub.

Sport has been a key part of his life so far and looks like it will continue that way.

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NORTHERN SUBURBS were absolutely gutted not to make it through to the weekend’s grand final against Gordon but they aren’t letting the grass grow under their feet.

The Shoremen are keen to keep the current first grade coaching group together and develop them under the leadership of Earl Va’a and are moving heaven and earth to get that done.

Va’a came over from Wellington in New Zealand to guide the Shoremen to what 

was probably their best season since the premiership year in 2016.

There’s a lot more to the performance than just that with Va’a for the early part of the season stuck in NZ because of the pandemic and doing the coaching like so many others via Zoom and numerous other devices.

In that time Zak Beer, Sape Misa and defence coach Simon Johnson really stepped up and drove the whole show along with the very strong player group.

Va’a, the former Manu Samoa flyhalf, has close family over in the shaky isles and wants them to experience the delights of Sydney. 

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The Warringah Rats new general manager ROBYN WATSON doesn’t start in her new role until the first week of November but she was at Rat Park last weekend getting the lay of the land.

Watson takes over from GUY FRASER-HILLS and was taking in the action in the Gordon v Eastern Suburbs Shute Shield semi-final on the Saturday.

She comes to the Rats after time at the Rugby League Players Association, the State Government, Crocmedia and News Limited.

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Great friend of Rugby News BOB WILSON is pulling down the curtain on his sports administration career after deciding to step down as the Executive Officer of the Mid-North Coast Rugby Union.

‘Wilso’ from Wilso’s Whispers fame in this very publication, has based himself at Forster for the past couple of years and has done a lot of the heavy lifting that has seen that part of the rugby world flourish.

The union will be in good hands next year though with BRUCE WORBOYS taking over from Wilson for the 2021 season and beyond.

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Things are on the move at West Harbour and the Pirates faithful are extremely excited about the appointment of CLINT HILL as the club’s strength and conditioning boss for 2021.

Hill is widely experienced in both rugby and rugby league having worked at Eastwood in their premiership years as well as Randwick for a period and stints at Southland in the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand on top of work with the Wests Tigers.

“Having Clint on board with a track record like his is a great addition,” re-appointed first grade coach MARK GUDMUNSON said.

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Sad to hear of the passing of the former St George and Southern Districts GLEN DA VANZO earlier this week.

‘Zappa’ was an integral part of the great Sydney side of the late 1970s and early 1980s that had a giant killing reputation against international sides and he even featured in that great “Sydney versus the world” Tooheys beer advert that you can see on Youtube.

He’s been battling “The Beast” for some time and I am sure all his teammates from that time will certainly send him off in style.

Da Vanzo teamed on the wing for those Sydney sides with MICKY MARTIN and there were many an opposition winger that woke up sore and sorry on a Sunday morning.

He made his first grade debut as an 18-year-old for St George with his talents spotted by long time Sydney selector BARRY WANT. 

IMAGE: KAREN WATSON