Shute Shield: 25 stars snubbed from best player list

We reached out to past players, coaches, and administrators to name the definitive top 25 players of the past 25 years. These are the 25 players who didn’t make the cut.

On (Tuesday) we released our list of the best 25 Shute Shield players of the last 25 years.

And kicked off a firestorm of debate, arguments, criticism and even a little bit of agreement.

It’s exactly what makes Sydney club rugby so great.

It’s tribal and parochial.

We were inundated with names of players who should’ve been included and weren’t.

In truth, the shortlist of players who could have been on the list was three times as long as the eventual list of the best players of the past 25 years.

Some missed out because – although they were genuine stars at club level – they went on to have phenomenal Super Rugby and Test careers.

Others may not have played enough club rugby to make the cut. Some were just plain unlucky.

Here are some of the players who just missed the cut.

Originally published as Shute Shield: 25 stars snubbed from best player list