Angus McElroy

Excerpt from The Weekly Times, Wednesday 27 Nov 2019.

ANGUS MCELROY of Putney is a promising rugby league forward on a mission. The industrious 20 year old lock proved a lynch pin as Ryde Eastwood brought home the prestigious NSWRL Sydney Shield Premiership title for the first time in 2019.

McElroy was one of the best players on ground as the high flying Hawks toppled Cabramatta 22-12 in the Shield Grand Final at Leichhardt Oval during September.

It was a maiden Sydney Shield premiership for the marauding Hawks, who chalked up an eleventh successive victory to snare the trophy.

Ryde Eastwood’s Head of Football Operations Michael Frain described the Hawks’ Grand Final triumph as “phenomenal finish to the season.”

“The team started to gell after four weeks into the competition and then reeled off eleven straight wins to win the premiership—an unbelievable effort from the boys,” said Frain.

“Leading the way was young Angus who turned in strong performances consistently in the engine room against more experienced opponents.” There were mixed feelings for Hawks’ head honcho Frain after the game. He was there to celebrate with the jubilant Ryde Eastwood players and also to console his eldest son Justin, 20, who was a key forward for Cabramatta in the title deciders.

The Ryde Eastwood forwards laid the foundations for the Club’s Grand Final charge with the stout-hearted McElroy stamping his authority in the big end of season matches.

His powerful running, bone-jarring defence and clever off-loads were a feature of the Hawks’ impressive 44-24 preliminary final win over St Marys and Grand Final triumph over the Two Blues.

McElroy capped a memorable 2019 season when he received the John Dunlea Medal for the Ryde Eastwood Player of the Year at the Hawks’ Presentation Night last month.

The former Holy Cross College Ryde student gained his junior representative spurs with Balmain’s Under 16 Harold Matthews Cup Team in 2015 and two years later with the St George Under 18 SG Ball Cup side.

He was a key forward for Holy Cross First Grade Team in the Metropolitan Catholic Colleges and Arrive Alive Cup schoolboy competitions before linking with the Hawks’ Under 20s in the Combined Sydney Junior League series last season.

A determined McElroy is hungry for more success with the Hawks and dreams of one day securing an NRL contract.