Saturday marks the start of the final month of the Shute Shield regular season and there doesn’t appear to be much separating the top eight sides who are all fighting for six playoff spots.

A bonus point win is all that separates Hunter in first and Manly in fifth and below them, just six competition points seperate the Two Blues in sixth and Uni in eighth, with Gordon wedged in between them.

Form and the health of each squad is going to be extremely important heading into the final month of the regular season.

So we thought we’d take a look at who is hot and who is not ahead of another big round of Shute Shield action  this weekend.

Hunter: 1st - 9 wins, 49 pts

Recent Form (Rounds 10-14): Loss, Win, Win, Loss

Despite losing to last placed Souths on Saturday, other results meant Hunter reclaimed top spot on the ladder. The Wildfires are struggling for consistency though and have only won three of their past seven matches.

Norths: 2nd - 10 wins, 48 pts