By Mark Cashman

For Randwick skipper Mitch Short the plan is simple – have a stand out season for the Galloping Greens that sees them go deep into the Shute Shield playoffs and from there the “professional rugby thing” will take care of itself.

The 25-year-old former Australian Schoolboy representative was off contract at the Waratahs at the end of last year and hoping to pick up a deal at one of the Aussie Super Rugby franchises or overseas, but the pieces of the jigsaw just didn’t fall for him.

“It’s pretty disappointing but it is what it is,” Short told Rugby News.

“But it has motivated me to perform well for Randwick at Shute Shield level which here in Australia is the next best thing to the professional level.

“I know it’s important to get back into it quickly and have a good year and we will see where we land.”

Another step in that process is Randwick’s big game against Gordon at Coogee Oval on Saturday, pretty much the pick of a solid Round Six.

Short’s change of circumstance hasn’t curtailed his approach to preparation and he’s been able put some work into his commerce degree online at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

Throw in some specialist coaching at Cranbrook and the three or four nights a week that Randwick commitments demand and the dance card is pretty full.

“I’ve been full-time for quite a few years now so I know what is required and the expectations,” Short added.

“I’m trying to do my extras as I normally would in a full-time program. I’ve just got to be a little more disciplined (with my time) but it’s been easy to work that into the program and the S&C staff at Randwick.

“What I’ve got to do now is to translate all that into a bit of form on the field and make sure that we go deep this year.”

Randwick coach Ben McCormack is a big supporter of his captain.

“There’s been no change in the way that ‘Shorty’ goes about his rugby,” McCormack said.

“He’s first at training and from what I have seen he works as hard as he did at any stage of his career. He wants to get back into the Super Rugby picture and I am sure that that will come.”

McCormack knows that this game against the defending premiers is a critical one for his side’s aspirations.

They are sitting on two wins and two losses plus a bye and really need to get some sort of momentum into their season.

Then there is the bad memories from the last time they met in the qualifying final against the Highlanders last year.

The game was there for Randwick’s taking but they faltered at the end and the rest is Shute Shield history.

“We need to win this one for sure,” he said.

“I wanted us to come out of these block of games with 15 points as a pass mark – we are on 10 so we are behind where we need to be.

“There can’t be any banana peel games for us so this one will be a really good scrap but the intention is to go out there and play some good footy.

“Gordon are a different side to play in that they have a number of different formations in their attack. It will be a real challenge for us that’s for sure.”

At Gordon they are auditioning yet another No.10 with Nav Lokotui getting a crack at Coogee Oval.

Lokotui came up from Melbourne last year to link with the Highlanders but headed home when the state of Victoria was locked down because of the pandemic.

He’s back and takes over from Ben Pollack who has been called into the Australian Under 20s training camp this weekend.

That’s a great chance for Pollack who can play at fullback as well.

The big question for the Highlanders though will be will they be able to get up after the rigours of their extra time win over Southern Districts last weekend.

The Wicks will certainly give them a vastly different looking challenge.