By BRETT PAPWORTH, Eastwood president

This year has been just plain weird. Would we even get a rugby season and would we be any good?

We lost premiership winners Lagudi, Doumbos, Snowden, Neale, Piukula and Allen to retirement, and Pama Fou and Tayler Adams to professional contracts, which was a fair chunk (about 1000 First Grade games) of experience gone. 

Bart Picone suffered a season-ending injury in our first trial at Drummoyne, and we lost Michael Icely and Lachlan Shelley mid-year to season enders.

In Round One against Southern Districts, we had only four starters from the team that played finals in 2019. 

Souths were very good, possibly the best team we played this year, so it is fair to say our loyal supporters and fantastic volunteers had muted expectations.

But the lads got better, week by week. Coach Ben Batger did an outstanding job, firstly in recruiting, and then in transforming. 

We are blessed to have a fantastic off-field group, and consistency and cohesion is something that probably really mattered in such a strange year. 

I can’t speak highly enough of John Manenti and Andrew Clyne, and our management team and board. We are a fortunate club.

But it is always about the players, and I have lost count of the number of times over the years that they have stepped up when I was beginning to doubt.

We knew what to expect from Jed Gillespie, Ed Craig, Pat Sio, Tom Murphy, Matt Gonzalez, Fabian Goodall, Sione Tau and Nox, and they have delivered. 

What we didn’t know was how good Ed Sheriff, Charles Granger, Ratu Tuisese, Tane Edmed, Chris Bell and Devan Stoltz would turn out to be, but we know now. 

Seeing Tim Anstee, Lachie Anderson and Mark Nawaqanitawase in a club jersey is simply the best thing for our game. Outstanding players and outstanding young men.

Clubs are run by volunteers essentially and ours are brilliant, who get great joy from seeing good young men achieve something most of us never did, or could. 

Grand final day is the players’ day, and everyone at Eastwood hopes it is a special one for them.

IMAGE: JAMES O’DONOHUE