By Matt Findlay

As the water cooler talk inevitably rolls around to rivalry rounds it’s quite natural to get lost in Manly and Warringah’s famed Battle of the Beaches, certainly for this era of Shute Shield fans at the very least.

But while hostilities remain at Manly Oval and Rat Park, it'd be remiss to cast aside the fierce, long-standing rivalry between Gordon and Northern Suburbs.

It’s one that dates back to the 1930s when the former club were admitted to the top division, was inflamed through the 80s and 90s in particular and will once again be reignited on Saturday afternoon.

Like any rivalry it’s ebbed and flowed over the years and the two sides’ imbalance in recent times has led to the competition’s bigger, more-publicised grudge matches casting somewhat of a shadow over it.

Well, that’s how it appears from the outside, anyway.