Veteran Shute Shield coach Phil Blake is keen for a fresh start at West Harbour in 2025 and seems confident the club is on the verge of fulfilling its potential. 

Blake spent recent years as the Queensland Reds defence coach but is no stranger to the Sydney club rugby scene, having coached at Manly, Sydney Uni and Southern Districts following a successful rugby league playing career. 

“I don’t see much point in looking at what happened at West Harbour last year or the year before that because at the end of the day, the results haven’t been good enough here for a while now,” Blake said honestly.

“I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen since I arrived, our numbers at training have been really strong and there are lots of good athletes so from that perspective, it’s been really pleasing.”

West Harbour were one of the big improvers of the 2023 Shute Shield season under rookie coach Cam Treloar but struggled to continue the club’s push up the Shute Shield ladder in 2024.