Warringah added another trophy to their rapidly expanding collection over the weekend, beating UQ 41-28 in scorching conditions to claim the Tackle Domestic Violence Australian Club Championship at Rat Park on Saturday.

While UQ showed plenty of fight, the 2017 Shute Shield premiers had too much strike power for the Students. Here’s what we learnt:

Warringah pick up where they left off

It’s been almost six months since the Rats broke their Shute Shield premiership drought in emphatic circumstances at North Sydney Oval but it almost looked liked Darren Coleman’s side forgot to take a break. Sure, it was scrappy at times but it was a trial played in extreme heat and the Rats showed plenty of positive signs in both attack and defence.

Warringah’s ball movement was fantastic for this time of the year and they certainly haven’t lost their will to attack from anywhere, something that likely kept a few rival Shute Shield coaches sleepless over the weekend.

UQ will be right, with time

After losing a host of big names over summer, the new look Students weren’t quite as clinical as they were towards the end of last year’s Premier season but that’s not to say they won’t return to their best quickly.

While their set piece struggled and UQ’s defensive systems are still coming together, the 2017 premiers played well for a side that hasn’t spent a lot of time on the park together. In saying that though, the foundations are certainly in place for another quality season.

New Rats show class

While 14 Warringah players returned from last year’s grand final side, giving the Rats a significant advantage over UQ, Darren Coleman and Luke Holmes also look to have recruited extremely well. Former Glasgow Warriors forward Ru Mackenzie was fantastic and will give Sam Ward a good run for his money for the starting No.8 jersey this year.

Former NSW U20s captain Max Girdler also looked extremely comfortable playing with the big boys for the first time and former Gordon lock Harry Rorke played well after shifting forward to play in the front row.

Throwing former Wallaby Mark Gerrard on from the bench probably didn’t hurt either. Dangerous signs indeed for rival Shute Shield fans.

Returning Red Heavies also impress

Similarly, UQ’s returning stars also stood out and can be expected to add a lot to the Red Heavies this season. Scott Gale was brilliant at the base of the scrum after spending some time in Japan and could be knocking on Super Rugby’s door if he continues to dominate as he did on Saturday.

Former Sevens star Con Foley also looked good and gave the Red Heavies plenty of punch in the mid field after spending last season playing in Sydney with Northern Suburbs.

UQ’s young brigade also didn’t disappoint and will be better for the run.

Both sides are fit

On a day like Saturday, there are plenty of better things to do on Sydney’s Northern Beaches than run around a rugby field, but both Warringah and UQ handled the conditions well considering the circumstances.

While that can be expected of the young UQ squad, most of whom are yet to learn the benefits of a late night kebab, the older Warringah side also looked sharp. A handful of Rats are already on the other side of 30 heading into 2018 and a few more are fast approaching, but there doesn’t appear to be a premiership hangover for either side ahead of their respective seasons.

Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Karen Watson