By Mark Cashman

Lots of speculation about where Michael Hooper will land after the Rugby World Cup in France at the end of the year.

The Waratahs seem to be off the agenda with big contracts in France and Japan also in the conversation as well as a crack at the national sevens teams with the Olympics in Paris looming.

But the Mount Everest of all for a young man who grew up on the northern beaches is beating Warringah in the big derby and I’m hearing that the feelers are out if he’s in Sydney.

Former Manly president Anthony Bergelin tried many times to get the moons to align without much luck but how good would it be if he was able to play in the big one in 2024.

‘Hoops’ has done so much for the game and was even dropping in at Manly juniors training over the past couple of weeks.

Let’s see how this one lands but it’s a promoters dream come true.

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Phil Waugh loves a bit of Shute Shield on a Saturday afternoon and last weekend he decided to take in a bit of the action between Northern Suburbs and Eastern Suburbs at North Sydney Oval.

Waugh as we all know is highly-decorated Wallaby (79 Tests and should have been a few more in some people’s minds) who played 136 games for the NSW Waratahs and was the John Eales Medal winner in 2003.

He’s now an influential board member at Rugby Australia and some are saying that he is among the leading contenders to take over as CEO at Moore Park once Andy Marinos moves on at the end June.

Well I’m not saying this is an omen but things are falling into place for Waugh – he won the meat raffle and was mightily excited when one of Around The Traps’ operatives saw him leaving the ground with a substantial slab of mixed red meat under his wing.

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It’s amazing what you see when you tune into the 6pm news on the telly.

Sport’s always a must at the back end of the bulletin and with “rugba league” State of Origin in the air the live cross and story lines from the Blues camp are good watching.

‘Freddie’ Fittler and his team have been based Coogee Oval for the week and I couldn’t help but notice the spot of ambush marketing that Randwick GM Mark Harrison had engineered.

Harrison and his marketing department left all their game day signage around the ground and they featured heavily in all the news bulletins that would have gone around the world.

That’s a lot of eyeballs across the likes of the Galloping Greens’ sponsors in major partner in Suttons Motor Group and Premium Partner in the University of NSW.

There were also a number of their corporate and community partners there for all to see including Maloneys Grocer, Rohrig and Bendigo Bank.

What an absolute marketing masterstroke!

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It’s a pretty tough start to the Shute Shield season for Jayson Brewer and his young side at Southern Districts.

Heading into last weekend’s big game against the Hunter Wildfires they were sitting stone motherless last but where there is club spirit there is hope.

Two buses packed with the good men from the thirds and fours headed to Newcastle to support the firsts and reserves and had a rollicking time.

They all got to see first hand the first grade’s side upset 26-19 victory and as they say what happened on the bus trip stays on the bus trip.

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I love my Rugby programs so it would be remiss of me to not mention that “Mr Programmes” himself Gerard Landon, the greatest Woods supporter of them all, had a birthday this week.

Anyone who has been to TG Milliner Field at any time over the past number of decades would have seen Langdon flogging Rugby News.

He’s a Life member at the Woods and one of the real characters of the Shute Shield.

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The Two Blues have been busy personalising their hall of fame that features the pictures of club legends who went on to higher honours while at the club.

The most recent to sign on featured Wallaroo No.144 Evelyn Horomia and that great Wallaby fullback Rod Phelps.

Phelps, who is much loved at Norths as well after his time there, and signed his portrait with his daughter Megan in tow at ‘The Eric’.

The club also held their Corporate Golf Day at Cabramatta on Friday (May 26) and from what Around The Traps heard was well attended.

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Rugby News colleague and man about town Jon Geddes tells this story about arriving one day at Rat Park to see Warringah go around during his time when he was Sports Editor at the Manly Daily.

There was an ambulance waiting at the front gate and Geddes thought that a player was seriously injured and needing an urgent ride to hospital.

Ever the news hound and keen to get to the bottom of the story Geddes asked the official at the gate who was the ambulance there for.

The answer was simple and had a degree of logic to it.

It was Ladies Day and one of the guest had slipped off her heels rolled her ankle and knocked her head on the way down – and this all before Shute Shield had kicked off.

By chance it’s ladies day at Rat Park this weekend when they take on Northern Suburbs.

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We reported a few weeks back that James Hilterbrand was off the USA to take up a contract in the MLR.

Before that though ‘Cecil’ was keen to finish off what might be his last time in a Marlins’ jersey with a win in the northern beaches derby.

That came to pass and he’s over there settling in at the New England Free Jacks. When we were connecting the dots on this one they led to the Chicago Hounds.

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Gordon are travelling along pretty well in the Shute Shield with many good judges saying that they must be premiership favourites after their impressive 41-28 win over Sydney Uni last weekend.

When you consider the drama at the start of the year with Billy Melrose stepping down before stepping back in again it has been quite a transformation.

They are travelling well off the field too with their lunch last week well attended and a great afternoon’s entertainment.

Former Wallaby Matt Burke was superb I heard from my contacts in the room!