WORDS: MARK CASHMAN

I wouldn’t exactly describe my ShuteCast podcast colleague Anthony Bergelin as a stats guru (he’s a highly successful northern beaches real estate icon) but he does know who to direct the hard questions to.

Bergelin revealed in this week’s podcast that since the NRL went to an eight-team finals series (like we have now in the Shute Shield) no team in the bottom four has won the competition.

Add to that the fact that no team has won four straight to snatch the title and only two teams who were beaten in Week One of the finals has gone through to higher honours.

All that information may not relate to the Shute Shield but it is certainly a conversation starter on a Saturday afternoon at North Sydney Oval, Sydney Uni Sports Ground, “The Eric” and Rat Park on Sunday.

******
Derbies are part and parcel of what makes the Shute Shield the best thing since eggs Benedict on sour dough toast on a Sunday morning.

So it’s exciting to think that Week Two of the finals series could well feature two of the biggies with the prospect of Manly taking on Warringah at Manly Oval and Randwick playing Easts at Coogee Oval.

For that to happen the Marlins will have to lose to Norths, Rats beat Gordon, they Wicks lose to Sydney Uni and the Beasties triumph over the Woodies.

******
Great to see Wallaby No. 558 Gary Pearse on at the launch of the 100 Years of Rugby News book a couple of weeks back.

Pearse had a decorated career in the Shute Shield playing in some very good sides at Randwick and then heading off to link with Port Hacking and then Southern Districts.

He’s living on the south coast of NSW and still comes up to Sydney for elected events.

“As I flick through the first few pages of 100 Years of Rugby News, I felt a surge of vivid memories,” Pearse told Rugby News

“The smell of liniment, Gerard bellowing “Programsss” across T.G. Milner, cold showers at Cumberland Oval and that irritating “Gordon for Me” chant. All treasured experiences from my years of Shute Shield.

“Rugby News defined our week as a player, coach and fan. The proof that you played up a grade, coaches stressed naming teams by Tuesday and your mother buying every copy if you somehow appeared on the front cover!

“The book is a superb publication that warms the heart of many an old rugby player or fan.”

And as they say it’s the perfect gift for that dad who has everything – for Father’s Day!

******
When Around The Traps spoke to Catchpole Medal winner Max Douglas earlier in the week he spoke of the importance of family in his footy career.

Dad Cameron and Mum Monique have always been there for him right from the time that he pulled on a Harbord Harlequins jumper in the Manly juniors.

The Harlequins are unique in Sydney Rugby in that they use letters instead of numbers to distinguish between positions.

And what letter did young Max proudly wear – the letter ‘M’. Simple really!

Max was rookie of the year the last time that the SRU handed out these awards in 2020 with last year a write off because of the pandemic.

He made his Shute Shield debut at the age of 19 (just like dad Cameron) and continues the strong family line at the Village Green.

An impressive winner that’s for sure.

******
Winter Olympics gold medallist Stephen Bradbury was the keynote speak at the Catchpole Medal dinner during the week and I must say that he was genuinely entertaining and informative.

Bradbury took us through the day that he won gold (Australia’s first at the winter Olympics) in Salt Lake City in 2002 and it was a story of all that against the odds stuff that we love.

He’s done a few rugby lunches and dinners in recent times and it was great to hear the story of his victory in the 1000m short track event after all of his opponents were involved in a last-corner pile-up.

There are perceptions out there that Bradbury’s gold medal came after a 90 second effort in the final but as he told the audience at the Catchpole that short space of time was preceded by 12 years and three Olympics of hard yakka.

One of his more interesting projects is the beer that he is brewing in Brisbane called Last Man Standing.

He has teamed with the sons of the late former Wallaby Roy Prosser (a great, great Shute Shield man at Norths), Damian and Stephen, to knock out the “crisp sessional” lager and it’s moving quite well.

******

Around The Traps sat at the table of the Charter Hall Community Spirit nominees and it must be said that the Shute Shield wouldn’t be a slick operation that it is without them.

Chris Hedge from Manly won the award from what looked like a stellar field of nominees. If you see see Hedge running around on game day at Manly Oval you would know why he sleeps so soundly on a Saturday night.

I also sat with Two Blues nominee Samantha Pethybridge and heard of all the work that she (and her family) puts in to make sure that game day at “The Eric” runs the way that it should.

Then there was Sydney Uni photographer Andrew Frazer who snaps away on the sideline just for the love of it.

******

The Hunter Wildfires certainly made their presence felt at the Catchpole Medal dinner certainly topped by Scott ‘Bubba’ Coleman sharing the coach of the year award with Sean Hedger at Sydney Uni.

Their hooker Phil Bradford was the leading try scorer in the competition and backrower Donny Freeman was right up there until the final stages of the counting for the big medal.

They made a night of it and booked an apartment in the city and I’m sure that there would have been some sore heads the next morning.

IMAGE: KAREN WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY