Gordon now sit on top of the Shute Shield ladder after another five-point win, while Eastern Suburbs and Warringah move up to second and fourth respectively. 

Eastwood suffered their first lost of the year to drop to third, while Southern Districts move up two places from the bottom of the ladder after securing a bonus point win at home. 

Image: Stewart Hazell

Hunter 35-34 Eastwood

After their heartbreak on the bell last week, Hunter made amends in round three, as a late surge saw them edge out a strong Eastwood side in what certainly was a Good Friday in Newcastle. 

The visitors took a hold on the first half through winger Lachlan Shelley, who touched down after a perfectly timed cross-field kick by Harry Snook. 

Shelley scored again five minutes later off the back of a scrum on halfway. The former Leicester Tigers man bumped off a defender and kicked for himself, winning the race and pouncing on the ball in a moment of sheer individual brilliance.

It was looking bleak for the home side as Eastwood fullback Isaac Crowe cut through the defence to score his side’s third try of the half and extend their lead to 17-3.

But the Wildfires were able to get on the scoreboard through Brendan Palmer in the corner, giving them plenty to play for at the break. 

Both sides traded points early in the second half, as the Woods looked to maintain their lead and keep Hunter at arm’s length. 

Momentum shifted with a quarter of the game left when Hunter centre Ueta Tufuga crossed next to the uprights, and a penalty goal from Connor Winchester gave the Wildfires the lead for the first time.

Snook got himself a five pointer as the visitors launched their final attack, but Hunter weren’t prepared to lose another tight one.

Another powerful run from Tufuga saw him get a double, with the conversion from Winchester just enough to give the Wildfires the win at home. 

Gordon 29-17 West Harbour 

West Harbour will take plenty of positives into next week despite going down to Gordon in a close battle at Chatswood Oval.

The Pirates piled on the pressure in the first quarter, and were unlucky not to come away with more than a penalty goal after plenty of promising attacking phases.

But once Gordon got their hands on the ball, they made easy work of the Wests defence, seeing Oliver Arcus and Cassius Clinton cross the paint in quick succession. 

West Harbour showed their fight as a scrappy driving maul close to the Gordon try line broke apart, which saw Jack Sheridan muscle his way over. Then flyhalf James Faiva slotted it from out wide to put his side within two points at half time and give them everything to play for. 

The Highlanders had to work hard to gain advantage early in the second half, and were eventually rewarded through a pick and drive from skipper Milan Basson who dove over under the posts. 

The home side stepped up a gear and scored again almost immediately through flanker Tom Horan, pushing their lead out to 16 points.

But West Harbour weren’t prepared to roll over, with a spirited attack pinning Gordon in their own quarter for several phases. A barnstorming drive from Onehunga Kaufusi saw him held up over the line, before winger Harrison Blake snatched an intercept to run 40 metres to score. 

A penalty goal to Will Kaye pushed the deficit out to 12 points in Gordon’s favour at the death, but the scoreline wasn’t a true reflection of this close encounter, with plenty to show that the Pirates are slowly building towards success in the coming rounds. 

Randwick 64-24 Western Sydney 

Randwick secured their first win of the season, putting together a dominant attacking performance to beat Western Sydney by 40 points at Coogee Oval. 

The Wicks’ attack has been among the most exciting in the competition so far this season, but two close losses have kept them undeservedly outside the top six. 

However, round three was to be a different story for Shaune Berne’s men, who started strong with two tries inside 20 minutes. 

The visitors showed good fight early, opening their scoring through star winger Hosea Saumaki. But disciple hurt Western Sydney, losing both their second rowers to the sin bin within a few minutes of each other. 

The holes in the defensive line became immediately evident as a break from no.8 Max Moore set up Timothy Sippel under the posts for Randwick’s bonus point try. 

Both teams crossed again before the half ended, with the home side leading 31-14 as they headed into the sheds for a breather. 

A yellow card to Randwick hooker Oniti Finau gave the Two Blues a boost, with first points in the second half coming through former Waikato winger Cody Nordstrom, who found space out wide to dot down in the far corner. 

Despite the Wicks returning serve with another try at the restart, Western Sydney briefly looked as though they may revive the match, when consistent phase play eventually saw Felix Kalapu muscle over to narrow the gap slightly. 

But Randwick weren’t prepared to let another victory slip through their fingers. 

Four unanswered tries in the final 20 minutes, capped off with a hat-trick to centre Hamish Comonte, cemented a dominant victory for this young side who continue to impress with their attacking flair week after week. 

Southern Districts 40-33 Manly

The clash at Forshaw Rugby Park looked to end in a draw with scores all locked up in the dying minutes. But a try on the bell gave Southern Districts a much-needed win at home to see them climb off the bottom of the ladder. 

Both sides were without a win heading into round three, and the Rebels were yet to secure a single point in the 2025 season – a fact they looked eager to change. 

Souths shocked Manly early with tries to Jake Douglas and Mark Balaski to give them a 14-pointer buffer. 

But Aussie Sevens flyer Yool Yool created something out of nothing from deep inside his own half, breaking four tackles to see his wing partner Wilson Dulieu get Manly on the board.

The visitors hit back twice more, taking the lead along with the wind from the Southern Districts’ sails, who still managed to close the gap to 21-19 at half time despite looking as though they’d lost their fight. 

Manly then dominated the majority of the second half, pushing their lead to 12 points with less than a quarter left in the game.

Just when it looked all over for the home side, it was Canadian international Balaski who sparked a revival for Souths. Following a handling error from Manly, Souths pounced on the ball and the former Connacht playmaker showed blistering pace in support to race away for his second of the day.

Another five pointer through David Nicol and the boot of Balaski levelled the scores, as the clock ran down in the final minutes. 

Manly then bombed a perfect try scoring opportunity with a knock-on 10 metres out from their line, only for Souths to complete an excellent full-field team try through Winiata Cherrington at the death. 

The victory sees Southern Districts leap frog both Manly and West Harbour to sit 10th on the table, and within one point of Northern Suburbs and Western Sydney. 

Eastern Suburbs 27-16 Northern Suburbs

A repeat of the 2024 final saw Eastern Suburbs become the only side to win away from home in round three, too strong for Northern Suburbs on their own turf. 

The Easts maul once again proved a nightmare for the defence as it did against Hunter last week, with hooker Moli Sooaemalelagi adding to his season tally and taking the first five-pointer at North Sydney Oval. 

And then it was winger Joel Cobb who added to a great start for the Beasties, carving through the Norths defence from 35 metres out before out pacing the covering fullback and scoring in the corner. 

However, two missed conversions from Easts’ Cooper Whiteside and two handy penalty goals from Norths’ flyhalf Matt Minogue meant just four points separated the two sides at the break. 

Wallaby flyer Darby Lancaster was unlucky to miss out on a try when he ran out of space in the far corner, but the Waratah showed his class later in the half, weaving his way through the Norths defence to set up Whiteside for a much-needed try. 

Minogue kept his side in it for much of the second half adding another penalty goal to keep the Shoremen within reach. 

The home side’s solitary try came from a scrum within their own half, as fullback Tom Bacon busted his way through tackles to put it on a platter for Callum Sirker, who out sprinted Lancaster in a 22-metre dash to the line. 

Four points again was the difference with as many minutes to play, but a break from reserve Harvey McGregor ended with scrum half Jonny Van Der Velde sealing the victory for the Beasties. 

The bonus point win pushes the reigning premiers up to third on the ladder, while Norths come away with nothing, seeing them drop to eighth. 

Warringah 46-17 Sydney Uni

Sydney Uni suffered their first taste of defeat as Warringah’s fitness proved superior in a 46-17 thrashing at Rat Park. 

Points were hard to come by early in the game, with neither side managing more than a few penalty goals in the first 30 minutes. 

And it was the Students who managed to convert attacking flair into points first, with Benjy Joseland taking two defenders over the line with him as he crossed in first phase at scrum time. 

Unfortunately for the winger, his hard work was undone almost immediately when a tip tackle on the Warringah fullback saw Joseland sent to the sidelines for 10 minutes of reflection. 

That proved a pivotal moment in the game, shifting momentum back to the home side, who capitalised with two unanswered tries before half time. 

The Rats continued to ramp up the intensity when play resumed, turning a Sydney Uni attacking phase inside their own 40 into a five pointer at the other end of the pitch through Archie Saunders. 

Uni appeared to have run out of gas for most of the first half, as Warringah secured their bonus point through replacement front rower Ivan Fepule’ai, before Saunders added his second of the day to all but seal it for the home side. 

A final surge from the Students saw Dane Terekia drive his way over the line. 

But some clever play from Rats winger Jackson Ropata saw him catch the Uni defence napping, with a pick and go on the 40-metre line see him race away to score and start the celebrations early for the home crowd.