Click here to see all 12 Shute Shield side’s road to the playoffs

The race to the Shute Shield playoffs is going to be extremely tight. 

Just four competition points seperate Norths at the top of the ladder and Manly in fourth. Below the Marlins, just five competition points seperate Eastwood in fifth and Western Sydney in eighth. 

With the top six teams qualifying for the playoffs, here are a few matches to keep and eye on in the final weeks of the regular season. 

As a reminder, the first week of the finals is structured as follows: 1 v 6, 2 v 5, 3 v 4 with the lowest two ranked losers eliminated ahead of the semi finals. 

Round 13: Eastwood v Gordon

Saturday’s clash between the Woodies and Stags at TG Millner could define both side’s seasons. It’s a big call, but both Eastwood and Gordon are coming off disappointing performances and both finish the season with three consecutive matches against sides in the finals race. 

A win on Saturday will go a long way to securing more August rugby for one of the two teams mentioned above. 

Round 14: Norths v Randwick 

The headline before Norths and Randwick’s round 14 clash will likely be determined by their results this weekend. If Norths can beat Sydney Uni and Randwick can beat Manly on Saturday, the round 14 match will be a battle of two sides pushing for the minor premiership and a top two finish. 

If they don’t win this weekend, they’ll be playing to shore up their positions in the top six and the finals race. 

Round 14: Sydney Uni v Western Sydney

Sydney Uni and the Two Blues both sit outside of the top six with six matches remaining and their finals prospects will increase significantly if they can pull together a few wins in the next two to three weeks. 

Uni play competition leaders Norths this week, while Western Sydney face last placed Souths. The next fortnight could swing the hopes of both sides dramatically. 

Round 17: Warringah v Manly

After a tough match this week against Randwick, Manly face three sides outside of the top six leading into their round 17 derby against Warringah. 

If they can win at least three of those four, it’ll be a cracking derby as always at Rat Park. If they don’t though, Warringah could have a chance to spoil Manly’s hopes of a top two finish or potentially even a spot in the playoffs. It’d be a quasi grand final for both sides. 

Round 17: Sydney Uni v Eastwood

Judging by their current ladder positions, either Uni (7th), Eastwood (5th) or potentially even both sides will be playing to keep their seasons alive by the time this round 17 clash comes around. 

It’s another of Sydney rugby’s great rivalries and while silverware might not be presented at the end of this clash, the result will be almost as important. 

Round 17: Western Sydney v Gordon

Like Uni and Eastwood, the Two Blues and Stags, currently eighth and sixth, both can’t afford to drop games to sides bordering them on the ladder. 

If results play out as the ladder suggests, both sides will be playing knockout rugby in this match. 

Round 18: Hunter v Norths

This match could mean a lot, or absolutely nothing. If things go to plan for Hunter and Norths, they’ll both have locked up their spots in the top two and will rest players in the final round clash. 

But if the season so far is anything to go by, that won’t be the case and the two current frontrunners will be playing to boost their ladder positions and book a favourable fixture on the opening weekend of the playoffs. 

If one side was able to rest players though, they’ll have a massive advantage come finals time.