Shute Shield’s cardiac kids, top teams, most improved, top stats and key match-up ahead
A Shute Shield contender has a new nickname with a deep dive into the famous rugby competition exposing some interesting trends and statistics ahead of the second half of the season
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Eastern Suburbs might be Shute Shield leaders heading into the 11th round of the season but they have also earned themselves another moniker - the cardiac kids.
An incredible 16 games in the Shute Shield competition this season have been decided by three points or less, making 2025 one of the closest races for the famous rugby title in recent time.
Of particular interest is the fact Easts are the team with the best record in these close tussles, winning all of their five thrillers.
The defending competition champions interestingly won the 2024 crown in a similar manner, beating Northern Suburbs 36-35 last year in the decider.
Eastwood have actually been involved in more close encounters than any team but have won just two of their six thrillers.
Sydney Uni have found themselves involved in five close battles but have won just two of them while Norths have won all three of their three point or less games.
MATCHES DECIDED by three points or less
Norths 41 v 38 Manly
Eastwood 39 v 36 Randwick
Easts 15 v 12 Wildfires
Sydney Uni 43 v 42 Randwick
Wildfires 35 v 34 Eastwood
Norths 48 v 45 Eastwood
Warringah 48 v 47 Two Blues
Easts 40 v 36 Sydney Uni
Two Blues 39 v 36 Sydney Uni
Easts 32 v 31 Warringah
Norths 32 v 30 Sydney Uni
Eastwood 48 v 45 Two Blues
Easts 28 v 26 Gordon
Sydney Uni 36 v 32 Eastwood
Randwick 33 v 31 Warringah
Eastwood 24 v 26 Easts
FORM TEAMS OF THE SHUTE SHIELD
Easts have established themselves as the team to beat in the second half of the 2025 season but have Warringah and the Wildfires hot on their heels.
Easts have also achieved the longest winning run of six consecutive matches, which is still ongoing as of Round 10.
Their streak began in Round 5 with a 66-5 victory over Manly followed by a 40-36 win against Sydney Uni in Round 6, a 55-12 win over West Harbour in Round 7, a 32-31 thriller against Warringah in Round 8, a 28-26 win over Gordon in Round 9 and a close 26-24 win against Eastwood in Round 10.
The Wildfires also have a winning run of six matches which started in round three with a 35-34 win against Eastwood followed by wins against Souths (34-21 in Round 4), Sydney Uni (48-34 in Round 5), Two Blues (36-17 in Round 6), Norths (40-20 in Round 7) and West Harbour (47-35 in Round 8).
This run was ended by the fast-improving Manly in round nine..
Warringah also recorded a winning run of six consecutive matches.
Their streak began in Round 2 with a dominant 52-0 victory over West Harbour.
They continued with wins against Sydney Uni (46-17 in Round 3), Manly (44-8 in Round 4), Two Blues (48-47 in Round 5), Souths (52-10 in Round 6), and Gordon (18-8 in Round 7).
Their run concluded with a close loss to Easts in Round 8.
SHUTE SHIELD DOMINATORS
Easts are the most dominant team so far, with nine wins and only one loss.
Their impressive victories include a 66-5 win over Manly and a 55-12 win over West Harbour. They also secured crucial narrow wins against strong contenders like Warringah (32-31) and Gordon (28-26), as well as Eastwood (26-24).
Their sole loss came against Randwick in Round 4 (19-34).
Warringah have also shown strong performance with seven wins and three 3 losses.
They have demonstrated formidable defence, securing commanding victories such as 52-0 against West Harbour and 44-8 against Manly.
Their losses were against Wildfires (27-36), Easts (31-32), and Randwick (31-33).
The Hunter Wildfires are another top performer with seven wins and three losses.
They have secured notable wins, including a very close 35-34 victory over Eastwood and a significant 48-34 win against Sydney Uni.
SHUTE SHIELD STRUGGLERS
Souths and West Harbour are experiencing significant challenges with just a win each so far.
Both clubs have endured substantial losses, such as Souths’ 17-80 defeat to Eastwood and West Harbour’s 0-52 loss to Warringah.
West Harbour’s only win was against Souths (31-26).
Souths’ only win was against Manly (40-33).
Manly is also in the lower tier with three wins and seven losses.
MIDDLE OF THE FLEET
The middle of the league table features several teams with mixed but competitive results.
Gordon has a solid record of six wins, three losses and a draw.
Norths are performing well with six wins and four losses.
Sydney Uni have five wins and five losses.
Eastwood has an inconsistent record of five wins, four losses and a draw, demonstrating the capacity for both high-scoring victories (eg 80-17 vs Souths) and narrow defeats or draws.
Randwick has five wins and five losses.
Two Blues have a record of four wins and six losses.
SHUTE SHIELD HIGH FLYERS
The biggest score achieved by a single team in a match is Eastwood’s 80 points against Souths in Round 2.
This was a dominant victory with Souths scoring 17 points.
Other significantly high scores include: Eastwood scored 73 points against West Harbour in Round 6, Easts scored 66 points against Manly in Round 5, Randwick scored 64 points against Two Blues in Round 3, Easts scored 55 points against West Harbour in Round 7, Warringah scored 52 points against West Harbour in Round 2.
SHUTE SHIELD BIG IMPROVERS
Manly experienced a difficult start to the season, recording seven consecutive losses from Round 1 - losing 38-41 to Norths in Round 1, 19-27 loss to Two Blues in Round 2, a 33-40 loss to Souths in Round 3, a heavy 8-44 defeat to Warringah in Round 4, a substantial 5-66 loss to Easts in Round 5, a 19-29 loss to Gordon in Round 6 and a 26-29 loss to Eastwood in Round 7.
But sine then Manly have been on a three match winning streak which is still ongoing as of Round 10.
In Round 8 they secured their first win of the season, defeating Randwick 31-26.
In Round 9 they followed this up with an impressive 31-24 victory over the Wildfires, a team that has been a consistent top performer in the season.
In Round 10 they continued their winning form by defeating Souths 33-15.
Manly’s improvement stands out due to the depth of their initial struggles.
SIGNIFICANT MATCHES AHEAD
Round 11
Norths v Easts (Woollahra Oval): 2024 Grand final replay. This match features two of the consistently strong performers. Easts previously defeated Norths 27-16 in Round 3, making this a key test for Norths to show their progress against the league leaders.
Two Blues v Warringah (Eric Tweedale Stadium): Their previous encounter in Round 5 was an incredibly tight game with Warringah narrowly winning 48-47. This rematch promises to be a fiercely contested battle with potential implications for Warringah’s standing.
Round 12
Easts v Randwick (Woollahra Oval): This is arguably one of the most significant rematches of the season. Randwick handed Easts their only loss so far this season, defeating them 34-19 in Round 4.
This fixture is a massive opportunity for Easts to avenge their sole defeat and further solidify their position, while Randwick will aim to prove their previous upset was not a fluke.
Gordon v Norths (North Sydney Oval): Both Gordon and Norths are in the top half of the league. Gordon previously beat Norths 49-36 in Round 2. This match will be crucial for both teams as they jockey for better positioning in the standings.
Warringah v Manly (Pittwater Rugby Park): This match is highly significant due to Manly’s recent turnaround.
After a difficult start with seven consecutive losses, Manly has achieved a three-match winning streak.
Warringah, a consistently strong team with seven wins, previously dominated Manly 44-8 in Round 4.
This upcoming game will be a major test for Manly to demonstrate their improvement against a top-tier opponent and for Warringah to maintain their strong form.
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