By Ron Wood

The dominance of Illawarra Rugby by the Shoalhaven club was on display for all to see on Grand Final day, 2024, when the club added their third straight First Grade Premiership to the list with a commanding 36 – 5 victory over Kiama at Collegians Sportsground, Figtree.

Earlier in the afternoon their Second-Grade side took the Second Grade Trophy with a comfortable 30 – 15 margin over Bowral. But it was the absolute tradesman-like performance of the First-Grade side that impressed all at the ground as Shoalhaven withstood an early onslaught to completely outplay their opponents. 

The Geoff Shaw Medal for Player of The Grand Final deservedly went to Shoalies Skipper George Miller, but it was the performance of all their players right across the field that saw the prize go to Nowra. Kiama came out with a strong effort but the trademark Shoalhaven defence denied the best the Cows could muster with the Shoalies exerting more control on the match the further the game progressed. 

The first 20 minutes of the match was a real slog as Kiama mustered all the energy they had to try and put the best defence in the competition under pressure. They managed to get to within one metre of the Shoalies line on two occasions but couldn’t get the points as the whole Shoalhaven side met the challenge head on. 

The turning point of the first half came in the 30th minute of play when Cows Fullback Mark Asquith found himself in the Bin. With Kiama clinging on in defence at their own line, Referee Steve Harriman issued the card for an Intentional Infringement by the Fullback. This proved to be the moment that the Shoalies took control of the match and never looked back from that point. 

Shoalies lifted the tempo in attack and within seconds of the binning big Prop Alexander Wilson forced his way over for the opening score of the match. Three minutes later, in a bit of crazy play down the left side of the field, Coach Will Miller scored after the Shoalies moved play 50m with a combination of kicking and passing for a converted try and a half-time scoreline of 12 – 0.

The second term started positively for the Cows with big Wingman Cade-Michael Patrick finding the line from close range after two minutes but that was the last the Cows would see of the Shoalhaven line as the match swung heavily in favour of the defending Premiers. 

The Miller brothers led the charge with Will finding George in support as George bumped off several defenders from 20m out to score. The try was converted by Jack Watts for a 19 – 5 lead to Shoalies. 

Kiama showed the signs of the tough workload of the last few weeks and struggled to make any impression on the outstanding Shoalies Defence. Lock Jack Hobbs made several strong runs to break the first line but a lack of support saw his efforts go unrewarded. Kiama struck more Yellow Card trouble, with replacement Winger Mathew Hobbs going to the bin for another deliberate infringement when he knocked down a pass at the 65-minute mark.

The Shoalhaven defence continued to smother anything the Cows could muster as the Cows managed to maintain a fair share of possession but could not raise any worthwhile attack against the all-encompassing Shoalhaven defensive pattern. 

With the Kiama players wilting, Shoalies half-back Dominic Bullock, caught the Cows napping, taking a quick tap and scooting 20m to score, increasing the margin to 29 – 5 with another conversion to Jack Watts.

The try of the match came five minutes later with a brilliant backline play from the Shoalies. They moved the ball from fifty out, first to right extremity of the field in an intricate set play which saw players quickly adjusting as play was turned back towards the left resulting in a slick try to wingman Angus Templeton in the southeast corner.  Jack Watts' sideline conversion brought up the final scoreline for the day. 

The path to the Grand Final for Kiama was a difficult one with the hard game in the Final against Campbelltown obviously taking its toll on them physically. However, on Grand Final day, the accolades belong squarely to Shoalhaven. It was a dominate performance from the very well coached and disciplined Shoalhaven side who have continued to take all before them for the last three or four years. While it was difficult to single out any particular player in a strong all-round team performance the Geoff Shaw Medal certainly went to the right man. The benefits to the club of the presence of Coach Will Miller and the impact he has on the whole club is impossible to measure. 

For Kiama, Jack Hobbs capped off a strong season for the club with another eye-catching display with fly-half Robert Siteine and centre Mick Taylor making good contributions. 

For the Premiers, the performance and leadership provided by brothers George and Will Miller was crucial, with big performances also from Harri Hibbs, Steve Brandon, Jack Watts, and Dominic Bullock in the backs. The whole forward pack and their backups performed admirably against a much bigger opponent, holding their own at scrum time and outperforming the Cows at lineout time. Special mention to Nicholas Schilling, Angus Clark, and Duncan Maddinson.

The performance of the Shoalhaven club in recent years will be recognised as right up there with best of any club in the history of the IDRU. Well done to all involved at Shoalhaven Rugby Club. 

First Grade Grand Final

Shoalhaven 36 (Alexander Wilson 1 try, Will Miller 1 try, George Miller 1 try, Dominic Bullock 1 try, Angus Templeton 1 try, Jack Watts 4 goals, 1 penalty goal) Def Kiama 5 (Cade-Michael Patrick 1 try)

Geoff Shaw Medal – George Miller, Shoalhaven

Second Grade Grand Final

Shoalhaven 30 (Ben Dennis 1 try, Hugo Roszkiewicz 1 try, Thomas Hill 1 try, Mark Brandon 1 try, 2 goals, 2 penalty goals) Def Bowral 15 (Michael Bach 1 try, Charlie Philp 1 try, Hamish Pinn 1 goal, 1 penalty goal)

Player of the Grand Final – Mark Brandon, Shoalhaven