Back from a stint in the NPC, Eastwood No.9 Lachie Albert returns to the Shute Shield this season with a fresh perspective on rugby. 

The former Australian Schoolboy, who spent the first few seasons out of school at the Brumbies, played a season with Southland at the backend of 2024 and got an inside look at the New Zealand rugby machine. 

“I was pretty fortunate, we had some great coaches in the region and they taught me a lot about playing to my strengths and understanding momentum in games,” Albert told Rugby News. 

“We all know New Zealand teams tend to play quite well in certain times of each match and I think that comes down to their mentality around the non-negotiables, their ruck speed and their control of the game.”

While Albert may have unintentionally cracked the code that the Wallabies need to win back the Bledisloe Cup later this year, he said he keen to utilise the lessons he learnt in the Shute Shield first. 

“Some of the key KPIs that they spoke about for me as a halfback were around lightning quick ball. Do we have lightning quick ball, are we getting over the gain line and what minute of the game it is? 

“They also focused a lot on kick strategy. Over the last few years, there’s been a push towards slowing the game down and playing for a contestable kick, but they wanted to do the opposite and tried to kick on the front foot to accelerate the game.”

Albert rejoins an Eastwood group that missed the finals for the first time since 2008 last season but the scrumhalf seemed confident the Woodies could turn that around this year, in their final season at TG Millner. 

“We’re a club that typically likes to do things in the background at this time of the year but everything is coming together nicely. 

“From my perspective, I’ve come back in and tried not to say too much initially. I’ve got to earn the right to have a voice in the group but there’s a lot of new faces and some exciting young talent pushing through. 

“The club has also added some good experience in certain positions and that will make a big difference this season.”

Having spent the majority of his post-school rugby career in a professional environment, 23-year old Albert has desires to pick up a full time contract this year, but said he’s looking forward to having a bit more balance in his life in 2025. 

“I want to enjoy living back at home with my family and obviously play some good footy. I’m also finishing off a uni degree in finance as well.

“If we can get some good results early in the season, we know the Eastwood supporters will get right behind us and hopefully then we can push towards the backend of the season. If we do that, then maybe a few of us will get opportunities off the back of that.”