BACK ON THE JOB
MICHAEL Ruthven has wasted no time in getting down to work after being reappointed as Rats head coach for next season.
“All the planning stuff has started,” he told rugby’s No.1 newsletter.
And that includes locking in the coaches for next year.
A positive for Ruthven is that the highly-respected and experienced Cameron Treloar will return for 2021 as his right-hand man.
“Tree [Treloar] and I are really positive with the nucleus of the group we have got hanging around and the usual three or four that we can bring into the mix,” Ruthven said.
“We will be well-placed come round one next year.”
Heavy lifter: Cameron Treloar
Ruthven thanked the club and the board for giving him another opportunity.
“We are in a results-based business and results certainly haven’t gone the way we planned or hoped for this year,” he said. “For the club to back me and show faith in me is really pleasing.”
Ruthven learnt a lot from his first season in the top job.
“It wasn’t without its challenges, but we were in the same boat as every other club and were all working under the same set of circumstances,” he said.
He said while the COVID-19 pandemic was disruptive at times, it wasn’t an excuse for where the team finished up.
“But it definitely made you think outside the box, you had to become flexible and accommodating around training and players and their situations and circumstances,” he said.
YOUNG GUNS FIRING
WHILE the Rats have farewelled some club legends, this season showed there is some real talent ready to step up at Narrabeen.
The emergence of prop Sateki Latu in 2020 after moving up for the Rats Colts program was a real highlight for Ruthven.
“In a sense he was thrown into the deep end in the round four game against Gordon when we were under all sorts of pressure at scrum time,” Ruthven said.
“We put ‘Teki’ on at halftime, he held his own and went from strength to strength. And until he did his MCL (medial collateral ligament) against Newcastle he was definitely our most consistent prop.
“He’s got an incredibly bright future and the knee injury is a minor setback for him.”
Another plus was the maturity displayed by exciting utility back Ben Marr.
Ben Marr's game went next level in 2020, according to Rats coach Mike Ruthven. Pic: Karen Watson Photography.
“The fact that he was able to build off last year and take his game to a completely new level is the sign of a pretty special talent,” Ruthven said.
And before he suffered a knee injury in round five, Marr’s best mate Ben Woollett had picked up from his impressive 2019 campaign.
“He had a really good start to the year and we definitely missed his physical presence and his connection with Ben Marr,” Ruthven said.
He said if hooker Wes Thomas can get some real consistency around his set piece, particularly his lineout throws, he could be anything.
A POSITIVE RESULT
THE Rats 26-14 final round win over Norths last weekend was significant on a number of levels - and it was a reminder in what could have been.
Ruthven said it was obviously a priority that the first grade side sent out their retiring teammates Sam Ward, Josh Holmes and Rob Kelly as winners.
“And it was really important to the balance of the group who are going be around next year that we finished on a positive note and left the season in good spirits.” Ruthven said.
“I think we owed ourselves a good performance. We had been a bit patchy all year and hadn’t been able to really nail down that solid 80-minute performance.”
He said if the team had been able to produce that, they were more than capable of beating any of the top six sides.
Impact player: Sam Needs. Pic: Karen Watson Photography.
“Credit to the group, we had a positive week, we did our homework and they worked hard and they got a good result,” Ruthven said.
Ruthven said prop Sam Needs had the best game he has seen from him in the past two seasons and not only in the set piece.
“Needsy had some great impact and involvement in general play,” he said.
Ruthven said backrower Rory Suttor had his best game of the year, carrying the ball strongly and was very strong in defence.
“He’s got a massive engine, he’s physical and he’s strong,” the coach said.
LOSERS WERE WINNERS
A lot of the Rats’ fraternity will be cheering for Norths in the Shute Shield finals following their classy performance after last Saturday’s clash between the clubs.
Clearly Norths were hurting after their costly defeat which saw them drop from second to third on the ladder. But they showed real sportsmanship to remain on the field as the Rats honoured their four retirees Ward, Holmes, Kelly and Dave Feltscheer.
Promising: Warringah Colt, Dave Feltscheer. Pic: Naparazzi / Flickr.
Not only that, Norths skipper Harry Burey said some very gracious words about the departing stalwarts and presented each with a quality bottle of red wine from the club’s cellar.
He also thanked Warringah for allowing them to use Rat Park as their home ground this year.
Rats Tales can think of a couple of other clubs who, in similar circumstances, would have bolted from Narrabeen as soon as the fulltime whistle sounded, burning rubber in the carpark as they exited.
To be perfectly clear, we are certainly not referring to Warringah’s arch-rivals Manly.
LOOK WHO’S BACK AS A SPECIAL GUEST
RATS players had a farewell drink for their retiring stars at the Mona Vale Hotel on Sunday - and it was great to see former coach Darren Coleman in attendance.
While he is now in charge of premiership favourites Gordon, “DC” formed a lifelong bond with his old players after guiding the team to their unforgettable Shute Shield grand final win in 2017.
And after the excitement on the field following Gordon’s big final round win over Eastwood last Saturday at Millner Field which secured them the club championship, DC was very happy when Rats Tales informed him Warringah had beaten Norths.
“It was good to see the Rats get up,” he said.
New old boys: Sam Ward, Darren Coleman, Josh Holmes, Dave Feltscheer. Pic: Facebook.
LAST TEAM STANDING
THE gutsy Warringah first grade Colts will carry a couple of words of inspiration onto the field when they tackle minor premiers Randwick in their sudden death finals showdown at Woollahra Oval on Saturday.
The up and coming Rats are the club’s last side who are still alive this season.
After finishing the regular season in sixth spot, there are no second chances if they lose this weekend.
“Our mantra over the past couple of weeks has been ‘stronger together’,” said head coach
Sailosi Tagicakibau. “We believe we are one big squad and we are one big family and we play better when we are all on the same page, working together.”
After seven wins on the trot, the Rats were beaten 38-27 by Norths last weekend.
“You’ve got to pick each other up and go again,” Tagicakibau said. “We don’t have any rock stars or big names, I think it is just a good bunch of boys going out and wanting to play for each other.”
Tagicakibau said his Rats side head into the game with nothing to lose. “We are not putting too much pressure on ourselves,” he said.
And Tagicakibau is happy that his side are the underdogs. “I think that is the best place to be going into the finals, all the pressure is on Randwick,” he said.
Meanwhile the Ratettes bowed out last weekend going down to Randwick 24-17 in their semi-final. But with so many new faces the team really exceeded expectations this year and the foundations were laid for a bright 2021.
A HISTORY LESSON
THE recent item in Rats Tales about the origins of Rat Park prompted a club pioneer to share a fascinating photo and insight into Warringah’s early days.
“Together with a number of players from St Matthews Junior Rugby side in Manly, who played under 21s in 1962, we joined up with existing players at Warringah, to play in the 1963 season,” Malcolm Wildon said.
“Although in those days you could only play in the area you lived, we could play with Warringah as it was a second division side, and they were hoping to get up to the first division, when it opened to more teams.
“The attached picture was taken at our home ground, Narrabeen High School Oval, during the 1963 season.
“Strangely I still have a jumper from those days, it must have been a training one as it is plain without numbers or Flannel Flower on it.”
Malcolm, who now lives in Melbourne, paid 25 pounds in 1964 to help the club start up and was issued with membership number 026.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Warringah Rugby Club hosts a huge weekend of finals matches this Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday the draw, with two very big 1st Grade matches is:
2nd Grade 10.15am Randwick vs Manly
2nd Grade 12.05pm Easts vs Norths
1st Grade 1.55pm Norths vs Sydney University
1st Grade 4.00pm Gordon vs Randwick
On Sunday, the draw is:
3rd Grade 11.45am Sydney University vs Easts
3rd Grade 12.50pm Gordon vs Randwick
2nd Grade 2.15pm Sydney University vs Eastwood
1st Grade 4.00pm Easts vs Eastwood
Tickets must be purchased online - https://shuteshield.iwannaticket.com.au
The club is also hosting all the semi-finals the following weekend, determining who goes into the grand finals. Tickets for that weekend are also available now on the same link.
JOIN
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Until next week, punt high and chase hard.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Rats Tales would like to thank Karen Watson Photography for the use of the photos.
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