THERE was one sight Stephen Hoiles had hoped he would not see when he and the Galloping Greens run on to play Warringah in their Shute Shield semi-final on Sunday - that of Wallaby Brett Sheehan among the opposition.

"Mate, being a Randwick man, it would be great not to see him run out on Sunday," Hoiles said yesterday.

Too bad for the Randwick back-rower, who captained his club for the very first time in their round 22, 34-17 win against Easts at Coogee Oval last weekend - Sheehan has revealed he had the green light to play for the Rats before joining the Wallabies in Brisbane to prepare for their Tri Nations decider against the All Blacks on Saturday week.

To be fair to Hoiles, he will hardly complain about Sheehan's presence at Woollahra Oval for the 3pm kick-off. He is as cognisant as anyone that it is best for the Shute Shield finals, which starts this weekend, to have as many Wallabies as possible playing - whether they are Wallabies such as himself, who has missed the Tri Nations series, or those like Sheehan, who returned with the current squad from their two-week tour of South Africa on Monday afternoon.

"In terms of the competition, you want to play the best guys, so I think it would be best for everyone," he said.

It is uncertain which of the current Wallabies will be released to play for their clubs in the Shute Shield finals other than Sheehan and Randwick hooker Adam Freier, who yesterday said he was "pumped" to play on Sunday.

Either way, Hoiles believes that Sheehan will be absolutely crucial to Warringah in the knock-outs semis.

"'Sheeno' will make the biggest difference [of any Wallaby] to any one club," he said. "Even [Warringah] players themselves know how much he means to that side. One of his strengths in the new laws [ELVs] is that [while he] may get himself isolated, he is so strong and physical he can handle the tough stuff. He can afford to take a couple of risky tap-and-runs.

"But you can't belt him. You can't isolate him to get the ball off him because he is such a strong little bugger."

Hoiles adds that Sheehan is "a very good kicker", as Randwick discovered first-hand in their round 19, 14-11 loss to the Rats at Pittwater Rugby Park, when the former rugby league player kicked the winning penalty goal.

Sheehan had saved the Rats with his boot even earlier. In their round 16, 20-18 victory against Gordon, his conversion before the Highlanders scored two tries secured the points needed for the final winning margin.

Sheehan appreciates the opportunity Wallabies coach Robbie Deans gave him against the Springboks in South Africa - 25 minutes in the first Test and 32 last Saturday.

"The more you play the better you become, especially at Test level," he said. "But I also hope it will help me this weekend [against Randwick]."

While Sheehan and Freier will soon rejoin the Wallabies, Hoiles expects he will still have to wait for his recall.

Missing selection for the Tri Nations after starting for the Wallabies in the second Test against France stung, but it also gave him time to work on his game, in particular his breakdown play, in a bid to make the end-of-year tour.

SHUTE SHIELD: THE FINALS

Sunday, semi-final A: Randwick (3rd) v Warringah (6th) at Woollahra Oval, 3pm.

¡ Winners will play Sydney University or Gordon in preliminary finals next weekend.

¡ Preliminary final winners will play for the Shute Shield at Concord Oval on September 20.