It might seem like the 2020 Shute Shield season has just begun but already we’re at the halfway point of the regular season. 

As teams begin their charge towards the finals, we checked in with each coach to see who they think their team is performing and to find out what we can expect in the weeks leading to grand final day on October 31. 

Southern Districts – Todd Louden

After 6 rounds: 4th, 20 points (4 wins, 1 loss)

How would you describe your start to the season and why?

It’s been a steady start and I think we are developing. We have a very young team playing a new style of rugby so we are very much still finding our combinations. 

Where do you need to improve?

Our kicking game needs to improve, particularly towards the back end of the season. Our game management and consistency of performance can also take a step up. 

What/who has surprised you so far this season?

I’ve been really impressed with the entire group to be honest with how hungry they are to learn and develop and get better during what is a pretty unusual, COVID affected season. 

Who is the team to beat? 

It’s hard to go past Gordon and Randwick at this stage. 

Manly – Matt McGoldrick

After 6 rounds: 9th, 10 pts (1 win, 1 draw, 4 losses)

How would you describe your start to the season and why?

It’s been an inconsistent start to the year. We’ve used four flyhalfs in six weeks, three different half backs. Below that we have had three lower grade No.10s get injured as well.

Essentially all the work pre and post COVID break went out the window as there’s been a lot of relearning with the new voices.  We’ve also got a new attack coach with a new structure which has proven a little clunky given the constant personnel changes. 

Cohesion is hard at the best of times but we are seeing some growth and our game clarity is improving with Harley Attwater and Harry Emery playing together. 

The set piece has been a pass mark. We’ve had some good days at scrum time and some inconsistent days. Lineouts have been a strength but we’ve let ourselves down there on occasions, like we did against Gordon. 

What have you done well so far?

I’ve been reasonably happy with our defence. Again its work in progress but we have shown a real appetite for work. We’ve really improved our goal line defense as we historically haven’t been great there, and we’ve taken a big step forward with our maul defence this season. 

We’re also working a lot on our behaviours and starting to see results. We want to be more stoic, constantly hunting improvement and being more accountable for our performance. 

We make no excuses for our start to the year. It is what it is, but we will improve, I see how hard the guys are working, we’ve got a good group of men.

Where do you need to improve?

We need to be more consistent with maintaining our structures in attack. We see it in patches during games and it’s looked really good but then we revert to something different. 

Holding that structure for longer periods will take us a long way to improving. 

The flow on from that is that we aren’t controlling possession to we’re being forced to defend for long periods of time. 

Last Saturday for example the tackle count was around 180 to 80 against West Harbour. You can’t defend for 75% of the game and win and it was a similar story against Gordon and Norths.

What/who has surprised you so far this season?

I was really impressed with Gordon. Good teams can beat you a bunch of ways. The week before against Rats it was their scrum and maul which won the day, then the week later, when we really stood up there, it was their No.9, No.10 and their backs that did the job. 

They are really well coached with DC, Billy and Liam there. Plus they’ve got really good players in key positions so if the injury gods are kind, I think they will really give the comp a shake.

Eastwood – Ben Batger

After 6 rounds: 5th, 20 points (4 wins, 2 losses)

How would you describe your start to the season and why? 

It was pretty much how I expected us to go with such a new and younger side. We are learning on the run and developing as we go. I would of liked to have one more win under our belt at this stage but as I have stressed to the playing group, getting better every week is the goal and if we keep doing that we will win more than we will lose and play finals football.

What have you done well so far?

I think we have learnt from our errors pretty well. With new combinations and a young team there was always going to be errors but if we have done something poor in a game we generally rectify that the following week. 

We’ve also competed well and the effort is certainly there, our executions has just been a little off. 

Where do you need to improve? 

We need to execute better. The time for excuses is over and we need to be more clinical like the good top teams are. 

We also need to react a little better on the field, whether that be in transition or in different conditions or a different style of play. 

What/who has surprised you so far this season? 

For us Lachlan Shelly has been outstanding. We have a fair bit of outside back depth but he has led us in metres gained, line breaks and tackle breaks and has that thing you can’t coach – speed.

Willie Leoso has been really good too. He has been thrown into the deep end at prop and handled it really well. 

I’ve also been impressed by how well the team has come together as a group which bodes well for the future. 

Who is the team to beat? 

I can’t split Randwick and Gordon.

Randwick have only concede four points per game which is amazing and Gordon have pretty much blown every team off the park. 

Penrith – John Muggleton

After 6 rounds: 13th

How would you describe your start to the season and why? 

We’ve started okay but we’ve obviously played a lot of top sides and have conceded a lot of points.

What have you done well so far?

We’ve competed for long periods in each game but our fitness and concentration have let us down at other times.

What have you done well so far?

We’ve stuck at it till the end in each game which is pleasing. We’ve gone at the opposition until the siren.

What/who has surprised you so far this season?

No surprises so far.

Who is the team to beat?

The teams we know that can move the ball have and have punished us when we played too loose.

Warringah were the best backline and counter side but Sydney Uni had the best all round game.