Shute Shield 2020: Newtown Jets Harry McLennan back with Southern Districts
UPDATE: He should have been playing rugby league but fate intervened. Now Harry McLennan is ready to carve up the opposition to Southern Districts in the Shute Shield.
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At the start of the year Harry McLennan expected to be spending his winter Saturdays playing rugby league with the Newtown Jets.
His plan was to then bolt back to the Sutherland shire to watch his mates at Southern Districts play in the Shute Shield.
Now, after the COVID-19 pandemic saw the cancellation of numerous rugby league competitions in NSW, McLellan will be in a Southern Districts jersey rather than watching the team from the sideline.
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The 22-year-old stonemason from Carringbah is a big fan of a coach Todd Loudon and delighted to be back playing rugby – even if it means 4.30am wakeup calls to get a good training sessions in before starting work.
“It is hard to balance both work and rugby. I struggled at the start a bit but I’ve got used it now,” said McLellan whose job sees him building things like pillars, fireplaces and feature walls and who scored two tries for Southern Districts in the competition opener on Saturday.
“I enjoy the physical and fitness side of the game. I’m up at 4.30am in the gym or on the field, the. Work from 7am until 3.30pm and then I train again.
“It’s a big schedule. Some times I’m pretty cooked.
“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I want busy.”
McLellan has been with Southern Districts since he was 14 but had been excited at the prospect of playing rugby league.
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“I did a pre-season with Newtown Jets last season and an opportunity came up with them again. Then that fell through because of the COVID-19 situation,” said McLellan, who still has his sights set on playing a football code professionally.
“I always had rugby league in the back of my mind, guys who I respected said play rugby league, so I thought I’d give it a crack.
“I stayed connected with Southern Districts … it’s full of my mates. And now I’m here.”
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The highly respected Louden, who has worked with the NSW Waratahs and Melbourne Rebels and coached Shute Shield teams including Sydney Uni, Randwick and West Harbour, has described McLellan as a player with “freakish” physical abilities.
Southern Districts played Eastwood at home at Foreshore Rugby Park on Saturday in their season opener. taking the win 34-19.
The club has the bye this weekend.
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