The Shute Shield returned with a bang on Saturday, with as round one delivering a healthy dose of upsets, razzle-dazzle and some try-scoring ability.
As we prep for the upcoming weekend, what were the key talking points from the opening weekend of action?
Eastern Suburbs def. Southern Districts 45-10
Hot off last year’s Impressive Shute Shield victory, the ‘Beasties’ carrying momentum into this season down at Forshaw Rugby Park.
The first points fell to the man they call Otto (great film but also sad) Serfontein ‘surfing’ his way in, as Eastern Suburbs, with their quintessential offloading attack and showing great strength in defence, while punishing errors Souths for their errors. Of particular note with Easts winger Cooper Whiteside, who enjoyed a solid day off the tee and scoring a try for his efforts
The hosts showed glimpses of razzle-dazzle, they were no match for the reigning champs.
Easts #11, Cooper Whiteside. Dotting down and solid off the tee.
Hunter Wildfires def. Warringah 36–27
Any pundit will agree, this was the game of the round.
Playing with tempo and physicality from the offset, Hunter could have put another 20 points on the Rats. Their forward pack were very impressive, particularly the flying mullet Donny Freeman, and some silky finishes out wide from Frankie Nowell sent warning bells to the rest of the competition.
Has Hunter finally found their mojo, or is this a simply home advantage? Either way, I dare say they will be spoiling the party on more than one occasion this year.
Of particular note was Sitiveni Vaihai for the Wildfires, displaying, dominant carries and an uncanny ability to find the chalk. Charlie Tupu was the standout for the visitors, with a step so good he could find his way out of a laser maze.
Gordon def. Western Sydney Two Blues 39–30
An end-to-end affair at Eric Tweedle, Gordon fended off an almost fatal Two Blues comeback, with their experience in the spine proving decisive.
Despite the loss, the Two Blues showed dangerous potential, with their backline causing real headaches for the Stags. Of note was flyhalf Reece Suesue, a sharpshooter off the tee, while Stags winger Oliver Arcus put in an early contender try of the year.
Eastwood def. Randwick 39-36
Eastwood kicked off their campaign with a clutch win at TG Millner, though they had to work for it against the Galloping Greens.
Randwick enjoyed stretches of pressure, shifting the ball well around the park, but poor defensive intent in the final stages allowed Eastwood to steal the game.
The game-clinching finish from Lachie Shelley was nothing short of sensational, and the Woodies were helped by being typically hard on the ball and dominant in their carries.
Flyhalf James Hendren looked dangerous for the Wicks, especially with ball in hand, while the Woodies’ scrum-half Lachlan Albert commanded the troops and steered the game nicely for the hosts.
Sydney Uni def. West Harbour 59-26
The Students weren’t at their attacking best – but still had too much firepower for the Pirates at Concord Oval.
Uni’s attacking momentum and speed around the park proved too much for Harbour, despite spending most of the game defending. New recruit Will Gibson showing his tenacity with and without the ball, and has a clear talent and enthusiasm to put his head in dark places.
It wasn’t all bad news for Wests, who came home stronger in the last 10 minutes, capitalising over poor exits from Uni inside their half. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
Uni might have found a future star in bench option Sam Bignold who created some excellent front-foot opportunities and set up some nice tries. Senijiale Dawai brought some Fijian flair to the Pirates on the wing, causing havoc with the twinkle toes and solid ball carrying.
Northern Suburbs def. Manly 41-38
Norths showed why they are typical finalists in this match.
Both sides scoring some scintillating tries, with big bursts of physicality and great kicking strategies. The king of the hot steppers was Callum Sirker. Another contender for try of the round went to reserve prop George Thornton off what can only be called as ‘never before seen,’ inch-perfect grubber from prop Siosifa Amone.
Ultimately it was the Shoreman who prevailed with off the back of what can only be called ‘life on the line’ defence with a man down. The Marlins’ maul asked questions, but a lapse of skill was too costly in the final play.
That being said, Manly’s forward pack put in a stellar performance, deadly at maul time and destructive in the close-quarter battle. For Norths, Tom Bacon complete the round with a very solid performance in his debut season.
