Brett Papworth: What Rugby Australia could learn from the Shute Shield clubs
By Brett Papworth
So, where were we, since we last spoke? Well, it feels a bit like Groundhog Day.
Another outstanding season of club rugby where eight teams were genuine contenders to play semi finals, and any of the top six could easily have been worthy grand finalists. But we are left with Warringah and Sydney University to battle it out, and it is bloody difficult to separate them.
University missed the finals last year for the first time in forever, and have responded as we might have expected. Young, fast and fit, they go hard for 80 minutes and just keep coming at you. And that is in every grade!
Warringah have become in many ways the benchmark for how we might run a club (or a game?). Defending premiers, third in second grade, and minor premiers in third and fourth grade. But it starts off the field, and they have done a superb job in that regard.
Northern Suburbs were my pick from a fair way out (besides my blokes at Eastwood), as they simply do the basics so we