After taking a quick look at Eastwood winger Zak Hickey, it’s hard to imagine that the 24-year old gave away rugby at school because he was on the ‘smaller side’. 

Now 6’3 and 100+ kilos, Hickey has set his sights on locking down a starting spot in an incredibly talented Eastwood backline this year. 

“I probably hit puberty a bit later than some of the other boys but as I got a bit older, I started to train harder in the gym and listen to the S&C coaches a bit more,” he told Rugby News. 

“That and I also started eating a whole lot more food, that was probably the biggest change.”

After growing up playing with Beecroft and Eastwood Juniors, Hickey “turned to the dark side” at school at Kings and played soccer in his senior years. 

He returned to TG Milner after his first growth spurt though and quickly fell in love the the XV man game again. 

After a short stint at Southern Districts during Covid, Hickey worked his way up the grades at Eastwood and featured 10 times in first grade last season. 

“I got a taste of it last year and absolutely loved it so I really want to nail down a spot this season. As a player, you always want to better yourself year on year so that’s certainly the goal.

“Eastwood has been close to the top of the Shute Shield for the last 10-15 years so to work my way in and find a consistent spot in a team like that, it’d be pretty special.”

Hickey has been hard at work in the gym over summer, adding more size to his already large frame, and he said he’s had plenty of company throughout the offseason. 

“Numbers at training were really strong in our pre-Christmas block which is always a good sign and everyone was working really hard. 

“We then got split up into preseason groups and did our own work during the break. That worked really well because we all kept each other accountable. 

“The forwards in our group were actually the hardest working, they were the ones sending through photos and videos of their workouts first thing in the morning so I think they’ll be super fit come round one.”

While Hickey said he believes he has the skillset to play fullback, he added he was happy anywhere in a talented backline featuring young Waratahs’ guns Tane Edmed, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Harry Wilson. 

“The biggest thing I’ve picked up from those boys is to have confidence in yourself. The first few times I played first grade, I wasn’t really talking or giving any direction. 

“But as the games went on and I watched guys like Tano and Mark on the field, I realised I needed to have a lot more confidence in my game. 

“No call is a wrong call if you make it with decisiveness and I think having that attitude certainly helped.”

Eastwood fell agonisingly short of a second straight Shute Shield grand final berth in 2022, losing 10-9 to eventual premiers Sydney Uni in a nail biting preliminary final last year. 

Hickey seems confident his side can improve on that finish in 2023. 

“There’s a lot of hunger in the squad. We had a meeting the other day and set some goals and I think everyone is on the same page. 

“We’ve got some really good players, both young and experienced, and I think that we’ll be right in the mix towards the end of the season.”

Eastwood open their Shute Shield campaign away against Eastern Suburbs on April 1.