The 2022 Shute Shield season kicks off this weekend and before a ball is kicked, we thought we’d get way ahead of ourselves and highlight a few reasons why each team can and can’t win this year’s premiership.

Eastern Suburbs - Last year: 3rd after 10 rounds

Why they can win:

Easts have picked up a quality Kiwi coach and a handful of quality Kiwi recruits to bolster their already impressive squad, that will be stacked with Super Rugby talent at the back end of the season. At full strength, they’re arguably the best team in the competition on paper.

Why they can’t win:

There are a lot of moving parts at Woollahra. New coach Simon Kneebone has admitted that he’s