Southern Highlands Storm coach Trevor Schodel departs after two years

That's what outgoing coach Trevor Schodel believed when reflecting on the year.

"It was a disappointing season considering the lack of commitment the players put in," he said.

"For example, I asked the boys to arrive an hour before kickoff in one of the games, but only five players turned up.

"We also had some players go away for a few months on holidays."

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Their season came to an end with a 30-8 point loss to the Robertson Spuddies in the elimination final at the Bomaderry Sporting Complex on Saturday, August 26 but despite making it that far, Schodel wasn't happy.

"We had a very good side if you looked on paper, so if we were more committed, I think we would have gone further in the competition," he said.

"It's frustrating when you've got a side that can perform a lot better."

He said the biggest reason he thought the players had a low care factor was that, in his eyes, the Regan Cup wasn't a serious competition.

"For me, third grade is more of a social competition," he said.

"If the club wants to progress, they definitely have to get a second grade side because coming up to a social grade isn't beneficial to the younger players."

In a season with plenty of lowlights, Schodel said the last game in the normal round against the St George Basin stood out for him despite the result not going his way.

We didn't win that game, but we only had 12 players there," he said.

"It was played at a very high speed, but we were able to hang in there and only lose by four."

Schodel's favourite thing about coaching is giving players opportunities and educating them, so it came as no surprise when he said the biggest highlight of the season for him was seeing the growth of the players.

"William Murchie took on more of a leadership role both on and off the field while Brodie Gentles came up from the under 18s and performed really well," Schodel said.

"I think Gentles is too good for the competition."

The Shellharbour Stingrays were the eventual winners of the competition.

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