After falling short in the opening week of the finals for the second straight season, returning Gordon coach Harry Fehily is giving his troops plenty of time to recharge the batteries over summer.

The Stags played finals footy for the fourth straight season in 2024 but were beaten again by Randwick in a tight match on the opening weekend of the playoffs.

“We’re giving the guys an extended break over summer. We’ll do a four week block before Christmas, then won’t return again until the 28th of January,” Fehily told Rugby News.

“The group is in a good place though. We’ve lost Benny Pollack to the US and lost Nathaniel Panozzo and Woody (Cameron Wood) to Uni but outside of that, there isn’t a lot of turnover.

“Our numbers are up and we’ve got 31 players pushing up into grade from colts so we’ve got plenty of depth.”

After winning the 2020 Shute Shield with a star-studded roster, Gordon have built their depth somewhat organically in recent years and have reaped the rewards ever since.

But the core of the current group are getting older and Fehily said this year could be the last for some of his best.

“There are a few players – Tristan Fuli, John Akauola, Tom Horan and Milan Basson – they are all at the backend of their careers.

“Milan is still chasing a professional contract and we’re hopeful he’ll get one but if it doesn’t happen soon, he may have a think about things.

“It does seem like this season might be a bit of a swan song for the current group and I know they want to make the most of it.”

Fehily said those players will leave a gaping hole at Chatswood, but added he was excited about the future for the club.

Gordon’s first grade colts side made the grand final this year, beating Sydney Uni in a thrilling preliminary final, before falling to a red hot Eastern Suburbs’ team in the decider.

“Marnus Bailey and Joe Hutton started in the halves in the colts grand final and both have plenty of talent. Dellacruz Paita is an exciting outside back.

“Henry Basten is probably the one that stands out for me though. He’s a prop that played a few games in first grade this year, which is pretty impressive in that position at his young age.”

Fehily has spent the best part of the last decade coaching at various levels in the Shute Shield and said he’s noticed an obvious change in the competition in recent years, led by heavy recruitment from overseas and rival clubs.

“The divide in the competition is becoming larger and I think it’s become an arms race over the last few years, particularly for a few of the wealthier clubs,” the coach said.

“I don’t think it’s overly healthy in terms of the long term viability of the competition and if we want to be a development pathway for Australian rugby, then maybe we need to think about how we’re approaching things.”

Gordon open their 2025 campaign against Western Sydney on April 5 before facing Norths in an early local derby at Chatswood on Saturday April 12.