Shute Shield: every club’s run to the finals, results, ladder, try scorers
There is one clear leader but there’s still plenty of opportunity for a ladder reshuffle in the Shute Shield. Find out the lie of the land for each club in the run home to the finals.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There are eight rounds down and five to go before the business end of the Shute Shield 2020.
And the competition is still wide open after an interesting weekend of matches.
Manly kept it’s hopes of making the finals alive with a long-awaited win in the battle of the beaches while Easts and Norths also downed favourites in a topsy-turvy round eight of the Shute Shield.
CAMPAIGN: To revive rugby in west
AMAZING: Footballer plays with four broken bones
Out west Joel Rivers and his men at the Two Blues recorded their first win of the season over Penrith while Gordon tightened their grip on the top position on the league ladder and Sydney University continued to look threatening.
LADDER PLACINGS AFTER EIGHT ROUNDS
Gordon, Sydney Uni, Randwick, Norths, Eastwood, Southern Districts, Eastern Suburbs, Manly, Warringah, Two Blues, West Harbour, Hunter Wildfires, Penrith.
Manly 39 Warringah 19
THE RUN HOME
MANLY: Rd 9: Eastwood, Rd 10: Eastern Suburbs, Rd 11: Randwick, Rd 12: Southern Districts, Rd 13: Bye
WARRINGAH: Rd 9: Bye, Rd 10: Two Blues, Rd 11: Hunter Wildfires, Rd 12: Eastwood, Rd 13: Norths.
Manly halted a five-game losing streak against the Warringah Rats in the game of round eight.
After a tight first half, Manly came home with a wet sail in the second for a 39-19 win over the team which finished second in the Shute Shield last season.
Fired-up ex Rat Harley Attwater was the difference, scoring a try in the second half and accurate with his kicking.
ADVENTURE: From Scottish Sevens to Shute Shield
CLUB LOYALTY: ‘No egos, just love of the game’
Two Blues 36 v Penrith 29
THE RUN HOME
WESTERN SYDNEY: Rd 9: Hunter Wildfires, Rd 10: Warringah, Rd 11: West Harbour, Rd 12: Eastern Suburbs, Rd 13: Sydney University.
PENRITH: Rd 9: West Harbour, Rd 10: Eastwood, Rd 11: Eastern Suburbs, Rd 12: Gordon, Rd 13: Hunter Wildfires.
The battle of the west was played under light and between two teams who last met back in 2017.
And with both winless prior to the game it could well decide who wins the wooden spoon this year.
Kalafi Pongi starred with a hat trick of tries in the match at Lidcombe Oval. Tuitakau Kioa and Niki Dalivusa also scored for the Two Blues.
Penriths try scorers were Terry Fanolua, Willie Tooala, Luke Nadurutalo and Jeremiah Faamausili.
PROVING POINT: Sevens gun a rugby 15s convert
Randwick 15 Gordon 42
THE RUN HOME
RANDWICK: Rd 9: Norths, Rd 10: Sydney University, Rd 11: Manly, Rd 12: Bye, Rd 13: Eastern Suburbs.
GORDON: Rd 9: Southern Districts, Rd 10: Norths, Rd 11: Sydney University, Rd 12: Penrith, Rd 13: Eastwood.
There’s is no doubt Gordon are the team to beat this season and this game proved it.
The Highlanders took down the talented Randwick team in one of the biggest blowouts of the round.
Mike Pavlakis, Ellis Abrahams, Harrison Goddard, Ahmu Tuimalealiifano, Mahne Vailanu and Tom Silk scored Gordon’s tries.
Marice Longbottom and Triston Riley scored Randwick’s only tries of the match.
Southern Districts 19 Eastern Suburbs 57
THE RUN HOME
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS: Rd 9: Gordon, Rd 10: Hunter Wildfires, Rd 11: Norths, Rd 12: Manly, Rd 13: West Harbour.
EASTERN SUBURBS: Rd 9: Sydney University, Rd 10: Manly, Rd 11: Penrith, Rd 12: Two Blues, Rd 13: Randwick.
Another upset as Easts recorded their fourth win in sevens games against a side which has beaten some of the top teams in the league
Brothers James and Daniel Donato went in a scoring blitz for the Beasties.
James scores two tries while Daniel nailed seven conversions and a penalty goal.
“It was pleasing we had the win and pleasing from the standpoint I was happy with the way the boys reacted to the moment. It was a pressure situation,” said coach Pauli Taumoepeau.
Sam Shires, Jack Grant, Lindsey Stevens, James Donato (2), Richard Woolf, Sam Fogarty and Jack Grant scored Easts tries
Laurence Tominiko, Nick Brown and Andrew Tuala scored Souths tries
Norths 41 Eastwood 38
THE RUN HOME
NORTHS: Rd 9: Randwick, Rd 10: Gordon, Rd 11: Southern Dustricts, Rd 12: Sydney University, Rd 13: Warringah.
EASTWOOD: Rd 9: Manly, Rd 10: Penrith, Rd 11: Bye, Rd 12: Warringah, Rd 13: Gordon.
Norths have gone to fourth in the ladder, a place ahead of Eastwood, after this win against one of the form teams of the comp.
Reece Mau’u, Nicholas Duffy (2), Nathan Russell, Max Burey, Connor Winchester scored for Norths.
Matthew Gonzales, Patrick Sio, Willie Leoso, Charles Granger, Tim Anstee and Tim Simona were the Eastwood try scorers.
Sydney University 50 West Harbour 29
THE RUN HOME:
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY: Rd 9: Easts, Rd 10: Randwick, Rd 11: Gordon, Rd 12: Norths, Rd 13: Two Blues.
WEST HARBOUR: Rd 9: Penrith, Rd 10: Bye, Rd 11: Two Blues, Rd 12: Hunter Wildfires, Rd 13: Penrith.
Sydney Uni continue to impress as they make their way to the finals and sit in second place behind Gordon with just one loss.
In their victory over West Harbour Ben Carolan, Hamish Dunbar, Tim Clements, Angus Bell, (2), Jack McCalman, Patrick O’Doherty and James Armstrong scored the Students tries.
West Harbours try scorers with Patrick Pellegrini, James Turner and Dion Spice.
THE RUN HOME
HUNTER WILDFIRES: Rd 9: Two Blues, Rd 10: Southern Districts, Rd 11: Warringah, Rd 12: West Harbour, Rd 13: Penrith.