Almost three decades after joining the club as a player in 1997, former Wallaby and three-time Catchpole Medal winner Scott Fava said he’s excited about the challenge of rebuilding Southern Districts over at least the next three seasons. 

Fava started his Shute Shield career at Forshaw and went on to be named the competition’s best player three times while playing with Eastwood. He also made 74 Super Rugby appearances and earned five Test caps. 

“As a young guy, I was in the Waratahs system but was still playing first grade for Kiama and the coaches sort of told me that if I wanted to go to the next level, I probably had to come up and play in the Shute Shield,” Fava told Rugby News. 

“At the time, my NSW Country coach Paul Murray was coaching at Southern Districts so it was an obvious choice, plus it was the closest club to home. 

“From there I got picked in the Australian U21s and was lucky to go on with my rugby from there.”

Fava has lived in Cronulla ever since and returns for his second stint coaching in the Shute Shield, after leading Norths in the early 2010s.