{"id":99333,"date":"2025-08-27T09:34:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T09:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/99333\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T09:34:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T09:34:09","slug":"why-this-gut-wrenching-try-could-lead-to-shute-shield-redemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/99333\/","title":{"rendered":"Why this gut-wrenching try could lead to Shute Shield redemption"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Easts<\/p>\n

Easts winger Darby Lancaster celebrates his match-winning try in the 2024 semi-final.Credit: Karen Watson\/Sydney Rugby Union<\/p>\n

The history-making feats by Easts last year swung on a thrilling semi-final at North Sydney Oval, which appeared lost for Batger\u2019s men until the dying moments. With Warringah leading 34-31, Wallaby winger Darby Lancaster crashed over for Easts with nine seconds left on the clock.<\/p>\n

It was a gut-wrenching end for Warringah, who had been strong all year but then went winless in the finals against Norths and Easts.<\/p>\n

\u201cSitting in the presentation night, \u2018Marrsy\u2019 [captain Ben Marr] said, \u2018We\u2019ll be back, and next year we will go all the way\u2019,\u201d Rats coach Josh Holmes said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs coaches, when we sat down and had a look at last year, it was a successful season, but we came out and started really well, and at the back end we plateaued. We started to hang on to games, instead of finishing games.<\/p>\n

\"Warringah\u2019s<\/p>\n

Warringah\u2019s Ben Marr and Eastern Suburbs Josh Bokser with the Premiership Shute Shield.Credit: Karen Watson\/SRU<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question for us as coaches was, how do we change that? How do we prepare our boys so that we\u2019re coming good at the back end, and not hanging on?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learnt a lot. And as much as it sucks to go through, sport\u2019s funny because it teaches you a lot of lessons. It makes your skin tougher, and I know those boys this weekend will remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rats won seven of their final nine games heading into the 2025 play-offs, where they downed Newcastle and then dispatched Norths to earn a spot in their ninth Shute Shield grand final.<\/p>\n

\"Warringah<\/p>\n

Warringah claimed the Shute Shield in 2017.Credit: James Brickwood<\/p>\n

Since the club\u2019s formation in 1963 the Rats have only ever won one Shute Shield title. That came in 2017 when Holmes was part of an emotional premiership run<\/a>, coached by Darren Coleman, that came after the death of popular clubman Lachie Ward.<\/p>\n

\"Warringah<\/p>\n

Warringah coach Josh Holmes.Credit: Karen Watson\/SRU<\/p>\n

Holmes, the former Waratahs halfback, has a chance to join an elite group of Sydney rugby figures who have won a premiership as a player and coach<\/a> at the same club.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get way more proud as a coach,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cThe coaching stuff came around pretty quick. A couple of years ago I was just starting out, and we won a premiership in \u201923 with the first grade colts.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years later I\u2019m sitting here coaching a first grade team, so it\u2019s been a fast journey but a really enjoyable one. I\u2019m really proud of this club.\u201d<\/p>\n

After being overlooked last year, Batger was recognised as coach of the year in 2025, and it was arguably more deserved, with many of Easts\u2019 stable of Waratahs stars missing this season. Bowen, Charlie Gamble and Jamie Adamson are set to miss the decider with injury.<\/p>\n

Loading<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is really satisfying, it\u2019s because obviously everyone last year said, \u2018You won because it was just a team of superstars\u2019,\u201d Batger said. \u201cSo to get back here, and we\u2019re missing seven or eight guys from last year\u2019s team here \u2013 that\u2019s very satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holmes said he was pleased to see his team\u2019s response to winning their semi-final at the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou look at Rats and over the years we\u2019ve probably been the team that hasn\u2019t won many and for a long time probably the club that was never in the mix. We were not seen as a team to beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve sort of changed that mentality since 2017, and become a very good club. It was a good feeling on the weekend that we won, and the boys didn\u2019t carry on what they want to do in the grand final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey shook hands and then straight away the change room talk was around \u2018OK, let\u2019s get ready\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Easts winger Darby Lancaster celebrates his match-winning try in the 2024 semi-final.Credit: Karen Watson\/Sydney Rugby Union The history-making…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":99334,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-99333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99333"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99333\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}