By MARK CASHMAN

Warringah coach Mike Ruthven has made some significant strides with his playing group at the halfway mark of the Shute Shield competition.

They sit in sixth position on the log and are nicely positioned to launch a run at playing finals footy after missing out last year in ‘Rivo’s’ first crack at the senior job.

Consistency though is the mantra that the Rats want to be known for in 2021 and the man who will show them the way on the field is their talisman centre Tyson Davis.

Here’s Ruthven’s take on the first half of the season:

ALL THE NUMBERS

Played 8, won 5, Lost 3
Points For: 310
Points Against: 202
Differential: 55
Ladder position: Sixth on 28 points

How would you describe your first half of the season? 

Our season to date has been really encouraging. We have a competitive group that has worked hard and has a strong desire to win. This is reflected throughout all our grades where competition for spots is high each week and leaves no place for complacency. Credit to our S&C staff and coaching group who have prepared the players really well and continue to invest heavily into the development of individuals as athletes and footballers, which ultimately transfers into success on Saturdays. Consistency is a real driver for us and a key component to ensuring we take advantage of the positive position we find ourselves in at the midpoint of the season.

Who has been the standout player so far?

We are fortunate to have a talented group of players to work with. Everyone has had a really positive contribution to our success at different periods of the season so far. To pin point individuals is hard, but one guy who has proven to be a really consistent high performer is Tyson Davis. He has high expectations of himself and works incredibly hard to sustain those expectations. He has been really solid in our midfield and is a significant member of our team.

What’s been the difference between your best and worst performances so far this year? 

Three weeks ago we got a pretty good lesson from Sydney Uni around what it takes to be a consistent footy side. They are playing a particular style of footy at the moment, where there is obviously a strong belief in that style, and they are able to execute that consistently for 80 minutes. I have mentioned consistency a bit and we are obviously trying to find that level of consistency in the way we want to play the game, and I believe if we can develop that, we can compete at the pointy end.

How does your squad look for the backend of the season?

Fortunately we don’t get anyone back from Super Rugby so disruptions to our squad are minimal. As a coaching group we have a huge amount of belief in our group and they work really hard for each other. Our challenge is ensuring we keep everyone fit and healthy and playing good footy.

Which two teams will play in this year’s grand final? 

Our goal at the start of the year was to get back to finals footy. If we can get to play-offs we give ourselves a chance to be there on GF day. Sydney Uni are the current benchmark so you would suggest they will be there or there abouts. I wouldn’t be disappointed to play Randwick in a GF. They will have a good roster at the back end and always play a good brand of footy

IMAGE: KAREN WATSON