This round delivered another spicy set of games, and the season is already proving to be a wild ride.
From shock upsets to try-fests, the Shute Shield is dishing up theatre – and we’re only three weeks in.
Oniti Finau opened the scoring for Randwick off a tidy maul, a double for ‘The Bobcat’, who must surely be an early contender for top try scorer of the year.
Parramatta looked big, but were they too big to handle, or just too big for their own good?
James Hendren proved again that he cannot be given an inch, because he’ll take a mile. Normally a social faux pas, but in the game played in heaven, it’s rather handy.
Parra looked sluggish in response, outside of no. 11 Hosea Saumaki, who reminded everyone that modern wingers need to run through at least seven defenders to be taken seriously.
Gone are the days when standing still and looking pretty would get you a jersey.
Things got worse for the Two Blues when Felix Kalapu earned this week’s naughty boy honours, yellow-carded and waved off by the Wicks.
His lineout partner Rokosuka soon followed, taking Parra down to 13 and making life very, very difficult.
Randwick showed once again that jersey numbers mean nothing to them – everyone’s invited to the try-scoring party. Inclusivity at its finest.
They played with heart and composure, continuing last week’s end-to-end chaos, slinging it wide before the big boys battered down the front door.
Worth a shout too for Kalapu’s athletic finish and Hamish Comonte, who was excellent in the 13 shirt.
A bizarre start to the match saw both teams threaten, but neither seemed too keen on scoring. Honestly, I’ve seen sharper execution at my grandma’s bingo hall. Harsh, yes, but fair.
West Harbour eventually took the pragmatic route, banking three points after a messy opening 15 minutes. Sensible, really.
Jack Sheridan for Wests ran into contact with more conviction than most of us run from our responsibilities.
When it came to take-off, Oliver Arcus proved once again that he’s more reliable than Jetstar. This boy can fly.
A silky flick from Manihera to Clinton set up one of the Pirates’ best moments, but Gordon’s inconsistency let them down throughout. They strung together some brilliant sequences, only to follow up with basic errors that let the Pirates back in.
Eventually, raw forward power helped stretch the lead. In a case of nominative destiny, Mr. Instrumental himself delivered a carry worthy of the highlight reel.
Wests again struggled to produce an 80-minute performance, and Tristan Fuli was sent to the sin bin with a yellow card.
On a day when neither side produced their best, it was the Stags who took home the chocolates.
Norths rolled into this grand final rematch dressed like they had footy at 3pm and a funeral at 5pm. Full black, full Venom energy.
But it was Joel “Cobbloaf” Cobb making the biggest statement, showing Elon Musk there’s a new rocket in town and backing it up in defence by launching Van der Velde several metres backwards. At school, that’s a trip straight to the principal’s office – here it’s play on.
Matt Minogue pulled out a monster 38–22, his second of the day, and bang on the money.
Easts, despite having Jack Bowen steering the ship again, looked shaky on the basics. Was it a rare off day?
Norths were gritty at the goal-line, managing to hold up several Beasties’ attempts, but they gave away too many chances with poor discipline.
No.1 George Thornton got a yellow to his name, the latest entry to the naughty list. Defensively, the Shoremen scrambled like Michelin-star chefs, while the Beasties forwards returned fire with some bone-rattling hits of their own.
Cooper Whiteside slid over to extend Easts’ lead, but gee whiz, could we get a look upstairs? Feet first? Bold strategy, Cotton.
The Beasties kept it rolling with a lovely scoot down the short side off the back of a maul, Smith to Bacon to Sirker, and it was try time.
Finally, Van der Velde had the last laugh as Easts sliced down the left edge in the final play of the match to seal the win tighter than a tub of Sealy’s No More Nails.
The game that shocked the round. The Rebels pulled off a spectacular victory over Manly, once again proving how volatile the Shute Shield can be.
Souths struck early off the back of some scintillating set-piece work, unlucky not to score off the opening scrum.
A simple lineout and the forwards doing what they do best left the Marlins down by seven points after just four minutes, thanks to Jake Douglas.
Mark Belaski was a standout, the No.10 showing hot wheels for feet as he played Moses, parting seas left and right. Souths were scoring more points than minutes on the clock, clearly frustrating for Manly.
So much so, Stowers-Smith let them know, and copped 10 in the bin for a shoulder to the head. Fair enough.
Manly’s Yool Yool, me oh my, the boy can run, and he did just that. Like a ham at Christmas, he carved through the Rebels, putting Dulieu in the corner.
Manly backed it up with two more, but it was Souths who ended the half in front.
In a game that was an arm-wrestle all the way, the second half didn’t disappoint. Both teams found space on the short side, and Manly’s back three were electric.
This week’s razzle-dazzle award must go to Rebels 13 Damien Faiane, with two huge bits of footwork; this man is a nightmare for defences.
With their tails up, Souths pushed ahead. Manly couldn’t break the deadlock. A Faiane short ball, followed by Souths’ tight five showing the hands to put Cherrington away game, set, Rebels.
Is this the spark Souths needed to claw back their season? Any team, any day. This is the Shute Shield.
If Souths weren’t enough, how good are the Wildfires at home? It seems the trip to Newcastle is proving a serious home-ground advantage. They are the team to watch.
Heartbreaking scenes last week against the Beasties, they had vindication on their mind and came out flying. They started strong, a warning to the rest of the comp.
Eastwood kept them to three points early and struck back hard with a beautiful cross-field kick to Shelley in the corner.
Keep your eye on this kid, doesn’t need space to pull out the ridiculous. A huge bump-off down the five-metre channel, chip and chase two tries in five minutes. You guessed it, try of the round.
Funny thing, when you see the final score and this write-up, you’d think it was neck and neck all game. But if you watched live, you’d know it was the Woodies who dominated most of the first half.
Yet, like a birthday candle that won’t blow out, the Wildfires just wouldn’t go away. Their forwards are enormous and run like freight trains, but they’ve also got a well-formed maul that chips away at you. Out wide, their No.9 and No.10, Love and Winchester, are a well-oiled machine.
It was a battle of the back row, the bearded monster Donny Freeman versus Danny Stovold. Two different styles, both colossal.
No.11, the Frank-meister General, brought Hunter back into it with more celebrations than the lolly aisle.
The final 20 was a tug-o-war; point for point, big collisions, but then came Ueta Tufuga, a man who could play No.6, 7, or 8, but instead lines up at 12. Good lord, what a bulldozer. Two destructive tries sealed the deal.
What a ball runner. What a game. Watch out for the Wildfires.
Warringah looked red-hot at home as the Students struggled to back up last week’s heroics.
Both teams traded early points as the scoreboard ticked over slowly, but the Rats’ forward pack looked like something out of Terminator; big, scary, and bullish with the ball.
Uni couldn’t find rhythm. Any time they looked dangerous, poor ball retention shut it down.
It must be said, Warringah’s scrum wreaked havoc. Every scrum was a coin toss for Uni, and most of them landed tails.
Barnabas, the Rats’ No.7, was an absolute menace. Some say he’s Spider-Man the way he sticks over the ball, this kid has a serious addiction to turnovers.
Uni’s No.14, Benjy Joseland, showed his strength with the ball in hand. He’s not too shabby for a winger, but soon after, was binned for a tip tackle.
Warringah’s counter-attack was lethal, exploiting Uni’s lack of width in defence, which was the story of the game. To be fair to the men from Glebe, they looked good in patches but couldn’t hold onto the ball.
The Rats ran from everywhere, and when they found No.14 Jackson Ropata, it was trouble. He was big, quick, and an absolute nightmare to mark.
A statement win for Warringah. Experience beats age once again, and Uni heads back to the chalkboard.
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