Despite threatening a number of times West Harbour haven’t played finals footy for some years and they are keen to put that right in 2020.

There’s a different feel to the club from past seasons and the Covid-19 interrupted pre-season has show the values of planning, structure and just a bit of good old hard yakka.

Rugby News spoke to first grade coach MARK GUDMUNSON about his expectations of the season ahead and how the club wants to shake off their “good but not good enough to win” consistently mentality.

They have recruited well and can’t wait to rumble into the 2020 Shute Shield season.

WHAT LIES AHEAD:

“A few unknowns to be honest, we have three home games at Drummoyne Oval and then need to find a home for the last three. So that is not ideal for us in regards to finding a home ground we are comfortable at, but in saying that a day in the sun on the hill at Drummoyne Oval is a must for everyone,” Gudmunson said.

“We are looking forward to seeing what an exciting group of players can do on the field, we have had a few players come to West Harbour on hearing about our program.

“This is a massive shift in the way people view West Harbour and our rugby program moving forward. So for us to continue to improve each week and be a finals team is what lies ahead.

“We’ve had a strong pre-season like most clubs that involved small group work and lots of Zoom meetings, but we are ramping up for round one.”

LAST SEASON: 10th (4 wins, two draws, 11 losses)

“Last season was a big blur for us and we were continually chasing our tails from the pre-season, we had lots of new players come in due to a few reasons and that was a challenge early.

“To say we started behind the eight ball is probably an understatement.

“The group that did come in were a great bunch of guys and quality rugby players as well. If they had more time together, I believe that we would have won a lot more of those close games and closed out a few of those ones we were in front in and who knows what would have happened.

“In saying that, it was a really enjoyable season. 2019 showed people that West harbour were heading in the right direction on and off the field and I think it is a big part of the steps we continue to take as a club for 2020 and beyond.”

Ins: Carlo Tizzano, Rod Davies, Josh Coward, Sonny Satuala (returning), Cam Betham, Nigel Vaifele (returning), Sam Wykes (returning), Connor Chittinden, DP De Lange, Pat Pellegrini, Elliot Turner, Justin Tavae, Kodie Drury-Hawkins (returning), Etienne Oosthuizen, Callum Quinn, Liam Moylan, Tametai Lomax (returning)

Outs: Tiaan Swanepoel, Tyler Fisher, Noah Cooper, Rhys Brodie, Sione Maafi (year off).

WHERE WE’LL NEED TO IMPROVE:

“Set piece is our big work on for 2020. If you can’t win your own scrum and lineout, you can have all the attacking flair in the world, but you are going to struggle.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

“I’m really excited about the whole playing group to be honest. I am looking forward to seeing Dion Spice and Francis Ireimea step up even further with a solid year under the belt.

“Connor Chittenden is a big centre from Brisbane that is proving to be a real asset. I can’t wait to see Etienne Oostuizen and Cam Betham lead our forward pack, both quality players.

“Our Aussie 7s players in Rod Davies and Josh Coward are really excited to get on the field and see what Shute Shield is all about too.”

HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS FOR 2020:

“Finals is an expectation for us, West Harbour have been out of the finals for a while now and we are ready to be back in the mix.

“We are not being over confident, we have a playing group that has set high expectations and the coaching staff, management staff and board believe that this group that can play finals.

“You can’t come into the Shute Shield and be happy with being a participant, you have to want to win.”

OUR BIG IMPROVERS WILL BE:

“James Turner will continue to improve, we need to get him as much ball as we can. Kaliova Nacina just gets better every session. Sonny Satuala has had a mixed couple of years with injuries, he has worked hard on his return to West Harbour and I am looking forward to seeing his improvement as the season progresses.

“Navi Bolatagici is coming back from an Achilles injury in 2019, Tametai Lomax is ready to fire as well and Nigel Vaifele has worked super hard on his body shape and I can’t wait to see what he will do in 2020.”

WHO WILL YOUR TEAM PLAY IN THE GRAND FINAL?

“I have thought about this a bit as I have seen and been asked the question a few times.

“I would like to play Eastwood, we have a good history and it would be great to take them on, but there are a lot of clubs that have recruited hard since the shutdown period, put in a lot of work and have full time coaches onboard.

“Southern Districts and Sydney University spring to mind that have massive expectations on them from people within because of who they are and I would expect to see them playing finals, so I would be happy to play either of those two.”