By MARK CASHMAN

Round Five of the Shute Shield competition is with us with Sydney Uni taking on Southern Districts in the 7TWO TV match of the round on Saturday.

Manly will play Gordon in another quality match up, while Warringah will host West Harbour at Pittwater Rugby Park.

At Lidcombe Oval the Two Blues will play Eastwwod, Northern Suburbs will host the Hunter Wildfires at Bon Andrews Oval and to round out the weekend Randwick will take on Penrith at Coogee Oval.

Here’s all the inside info on all the games:

SYDNEY UNI V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS at Uni No.2 Oval

A little under a decade ago it was Todd Louden who was calling the coaching shots at Sydney Uni and Michael Hodge was the emerging star looking for a crack at Super Rugby.

The two will go head to head on Saturday when Sydney Uni and Southern Districts play in the 7TWO match of the round – Louden as the man pressing the reset button at the Rebels and Hodge the guy thrown the keys to the Ferrari that is Uni.

They had some great times together including the Shute Shield grand final win in 2012 that was ironically played out against Southern Districts, and both are looking forward to the battle that will play out through Saturday.

“It’s a special week coming up against Todd,” Hodge said.

“He was my First Grade coach for two full seasons in 2011 and 2012. That included us winning the Shute Shield together, and he will have the Souths pack fired up and ready for a combative match.

“They’re a well drilled team and will be extra physical at the breakdown.”

Louden likewise, has fond memories of those years at Uni.

“He was a crafty little player,” Louden said of the Hodge of 2011 and 2012.

“And I’m sure he’s not that different as a coach. He’s a good communicator and he seems to be able to rally the boys really well.

“Michael’s just a great guy, but I must admit that I see the coaching thing a little differently – I’m coaching my team and he’s coaching his team and it’s more about the guys on the field.

“I want him to do well – but after Saturday,” Louden laughed.

Louden added that the Souths approach to this game had been very low key.

“Very very low key that’s for sure,” he said.

“We just want to play this game and see where we are at. It’s the perfect game at the perfect time of the year.”

The Students have been managing a Covid-19 scare within the club on the back of their visit to Newcastle to play the Hunter Wildfires and will once again be missing 12 players throughout their top two grades.

That saw numerous guys from Uni’s next wave get a taste of Shute Shield action against Penrith last weekend and they will again step up and try and get the job done against Souths.

The big in for Uni is in the front row with the vastly experienced Paddy Ryan coming in at tighthead.

“We are certainly keen to back the young guys who will be getting another opportunity this week,” Hodge added.

“I was really happy with what they produced last week, particularly after a disrupted preparation.

“Paddy’s been exceptional. He’s been training with us for six weeks now, and gets his opportunity on the big stage!

“Remembering he was there for the 2018 GF, so he already feels a part of this group.”

Souths have developed a reputation for being a combative side that doesn’t go away and that will be their best form of attack.

Harry McLennan has been great in their back row and they will be helped by the return of hooker Joe Cotton who has been in and out of the Waratahs bubble.

Tim Metcher delivers the same stuff each week and they have also got some good pay from their centre duo in Will Latu and Nathan Lawson who is transitioning from the back row.

The loss of those regulars to self isolation these past two weeks does bring Uni back to the pack here so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Teacher v student and all that stuff!

SYDNEY UNI (1-15):
Matt Sandell, Timothy Lilomaiava, Paddy Ryan, Luke Porter, Ratu Rotuisolia, Hugh Bokenham, Hamish Dunbar, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Banjo Travers, Connor O’Shea, James Kane, Will McDonnell, Henry Clunies-Ross, James Armstrong, Tim Clements.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS (1-15):
Laurence Tominiko, Joe Cotton, Tim Metcher, Isoa Nasilasila, Jake Douglas, Philip Potgieter, Harry McLennan, Nick Brown, Sam Harris, Liam Moseley, Christian Kagiassis, Viliami Latu, Nathan Lawson, Apaola Tea Lama, Daniel Bell.

LAST TIME: Sydney Uni W 47-24 July 20, 2019

MANLY V GORDON at Manly Oval

Manly Marlins coach Matt McGoldrick has no illusions about what his side are facing when they take on Gordon at the Village Green on Saturday.

“They’re the best team in the competition, there’s no question about that,” McGoldrick said.

“They don’t beat themselves, they are well coached, the have a good set piece and we will have our hands full on the weekend.

“But we’ll be better than we were last week. We have had a good week of training and the vibe around the group is great.”

McGoldrick is excited about Harley Attwater joining the club midweek from the Warringah Rats and it’s not just his playmaking abilities that he is happy to have on board.

In the past two games the Marlins have kicked only two from six (v Wildfires) and two from five (v Northern Suburbs) and that is having an adverse on a lot of their outcomes.

“It’s not as if Harley is unfamiliar with the place,” McGoldrick added.

“His goal kicking will bring a lot to the table for us and if we can get ourselves in the right positions we can benefit from having a goal kicker of his calibre on board.

“Against Gordon we just need to play a hell of a lot better. We did enough to win last week but the goal kicking can hurt you.

“We’ve had a total change in the way that we play this year, there are different roles and different calls and to be honest it’s just tasking time to come together.

“We have been good at times but there are the times when we are less than that.”

Gordon coach Darren Coleman said Manly would be a good challenge for his side this week.

“They’ve been a top end club for the past five years and Gordon haven’t won there in 12 years.
That’s a long, long time,” he said.

“They’ll have an air of desperation and intensity based on my assumption they weren’t happy with their past two games at home.

“They are a proud successful club who doesn’t lose at home.

“Their forward pack particularly has a lot of experienced and quality players that have won minor premierships of late.

“We are looking forward to the challenge, understand we’ll need to play well and hopefully give some long suffering Highlander fans a happy day at Manly Oval.”

MANLY MARLINS (1-15):
Alefosio Tatola, James Hilterbrand, Conor Davidson, Van Stewart, Alex Dalzell, Harry Bergelin, Mitch Tye, Max Douglas, Tim Donlan, BJ Hartmann, Fraser Toohey, Hutana Coffin, Dennis Pili-Gaitau, Yool Yool, Michael Adams.

GORDON (1-15):
Brandon Faavae-Eli / Bosco Tagaloa, Mahe Vailanu, Rhys Brodie, Jack Margin, Brendan Mitchell/Pete Chanel-Tagaloa, Tom Silk, James Lough / Jack Maguire, Jordy Goddard (c), Harrison Goddard, Rod Iona, Brandon Quinn, Tautalatasi Tasi, Lucas Price, Ahmu Tuimalealiifano, Jaline Graham / Reece McDonald.

LAST TIME: Manly W 31-27 June 8, 2019

WESTERN SYDNEY TWO BLUES V EASTWOOD at Lidcombe Oval

Eastwood coach Ben Batger wants his team to make a major statement when they take on the highly physical and improving Western Sydney Two Blues on Saturday.

The Two Blues had their nose in front for a major slice of their game against Southern Districts last Saturday with the Rebels only coming back into the contest on the back of the quality of their bench.

Lots of wraps around for the work that Two Blues coach Joel Rivers has been doing, taking a long term view of rebuilding the club and shying away from the temptation of tipping talent in at the top end of the club.

Souths coach Todd Louden said there had been a massive cultural change at the club and that will have Batger on edge in the lead into this game.

The Woodies squeaked home 20-17 against Eastern Suburbs last weekend taking a couple of chances that really shouldn’t have been there but wins like that at this time of the year are absolute gold.

“Boys are very pleased with the Easts win but understand we are well off our best so we need to look to improve again this week,” Batger said.

“The Two Blues present a different challenge because they are very big and physical team who are challenging all the top teams at the moment .

“We need to match their physicality and embrace the battle.

“We will need our more experienced forwards like Sione Tau , Tom Murphy and Ed Craig to lead from the front and then Tane Edmed needs to make smart decisions on how we want to play.”

Batger said he was happy with the development of his 19-year-old flyhalf Tane Edmed.

“He is a good young player and the last flyhalf we had of his age was Tim Donnelly who is actually helping him transition to senior footy,” Batger said.

“Tane certainly has all the potential, works hard on his craft and is improving every week so I think he could certainly follow TD and play for Tahs and win premierships.”

WESTERN SYDNEY TWO BLUES (1-15):
Jacob Delailoa, Nick Blacklock, Kalafi Pongi (c), Airi Hunt, Sione Fifita, Sione Fifita, Patrick Searson, Emmanual Maliko, Liam Tully, Rory Garrett, Niko Dalivusa, Phillip Pale, Zac Campion, Jordan Williams, Leviticus Dodd.

EASTWOOD (1-15):
Willie Leoso, Ed Craig, Rhys Sheriff, Tim Anstee, Charles Granger, Michael Icely, Tom Murphy, Sione Tau, Matt Gonzalez, Tane Edmed, Lachlan Shelley, Enoka Muliufi, Devan Stoltz, Fabian Goodall, Harry Wilson.

LAST TIME: Eastwood W 39-24 on May 4, 2019

RANDWICK V PENRITH at Coogee Oval

Randwick coach Ben McCormack reckons that if the Galloping Greens shy away from the tough stuff when they take on Penrith on Saturday they are in for a very tough afternoon.

McCormack has watched the Emus with great interest in their starts in the first four round of the Shute Shield and has seen them grow in organisation, skills and physicality.

“Penrith have gott better with every performance so far and their physicality is easy to see,” McCormack said.

“ I thought they’ve rattled a few teams in that area which you could see by some of the attack and kicking decisions that sides have opted for.

“We certainly need to be up for it at contact time.

“They have a couple of very sharp individuals with smart footwork and the ability to offload so we will need to minimise their impact as much as we can with good connection and accurate first up tackles.”

McCormack added that it will be up to his game managers to get them through this testy one.

“We’ve got to be in the right areas of the field and be smart with our play selection but if we can apply pressure consistently I’m hopeful we can find a positive result,” he said.

Penrith coach John Muggleton said his side had made another significant step in their development last week against Sydney Uni.

The Emus now have something of a fearsome reputation for their hits in defence.

“There were a couple against Uni that were great and I’m the sort of guy that likes his teams to hit well,” Muggleton said.

“Against Randwick we’ve got to try and control the pace of the game and get in their faces. easier said than done but that’s the aim.”

RANDWICK (1-15):
Jake Turnbull, Dave Vea, George Hendry, Tom Piroddi, Nathan Den Hoedt, Sam Croke, Christian Poidevin, Ryan Powter, Tyzac Jordan, Dave Horwitz, Dylan Pietsch, Kristian Jensen, Simon Kennewell, Triston Reilly, Locky Miller.

PENRITH (1-15):
Mark Roparti, Delahoya Manu, Macia Latabua, Timoci Wasarua, Sevanaia Nadruku, Lucas Castle, John Tuivaiti, Sosifa Funaki, Terry Fanolua, Netane Masima, Jeremiah Fa’amasili, Dean Blore, Luke Nadurutalo, Jale Seninawanawa, Levi Tofa.

LAST TIME: not applicable

NORTHERN SUBURBS V HUNTER WILDFIRES at Bon Andrews Oval

Northern Suburbs head coach Earl Va’a gets the chance to take his coaching “live” when the Shoremen host the Hunter Wildfires at home on Saturday.

Va’a has been in quarantine for much of the past two weeks and only really got hands on last weekend when his time in the hotel was over.

Before that it was a hell of a tussle to even get him back into the country after he went home to be with his family in Wellington, New Zealand once the Covid-19 pandemic got serious.

Norths officials tried to get him back into the country four times only for him to be turned back at the airport but eventually he got himself on a plane and is now trying to make up for lost time.

Va’a has been coaching by Zoom, WhatsApp and numerous other new age coaching techniques and it seems to be doing the trick with his coaching group and players leadership group stepping up and seeking out three wins from three starts.

“It’s been great to do some fact to face coaching and just be around the boys this past week,” Va’a said.

“After all it’s why I have been brought over here and to be honest it’s been great to be able to share some stories and have some personal contact with the guys.

“We will need to execute our roles and make sure the skills are on point to get on top of the Wildfires who from my reckoning have improved a lot from Round One though until now.

“They can play that is for sure.”

A familiar face to many at Norths will be their hooker Steve Lamont who played colts and a couple of years of grade with the Shoremen and he will be have to watched.

Wildfires coach Scott Coleman said: “I think North is very similar side to Manly. If we can get in their face and really disrupt them and pressure them at the breakdown I think we can turn it into a even game.

“If we give them quick fast ball I think we will be in for a long day.”

NORTHERN SUBURBS (1-15):
Jack Brewer, James Margan, Isaac Cavu, Dave Henaway, Nick Palmer (c), Brad Hemopo, Heinrich Brendel, George Murrin, Nick Duffy, Angus Sinclair, Reece Mau’u, Harry Burey, Nathan Russell, Tom Gilbert, Max Burey.

HUNTER WILDFIRES (1-15):
David Puchert, Steve Lamont, Nicholas Dobson, Adam Edwards, Sevanaia Rokobara, Piers Mortell, Shawn Ingle, Marlon Solofuti, Mahe Fangupo, Michael Moloney, Rob Buserau, Angus Brown, Hayden Cole, Nimilote Qio, Chad Northcott.

LAST TIME: not applicable

WARRINGAH V WEST HARBOUR at Pittwater Rugby Park

West Harbour have tweaked their approach to Saturday’s game against Warringah in an effort to break their run out of outs in 2020.

Wests coach Mark Gudmunson said they had changed the way that they have trained in an effort to get that spark and spontaneity into their game.

“This week has been about us,” Gudmunson said.

“It’s a total focus on all our teams, we have played around with a few things on the S&C side to see if we can get more energy out of the team.

“Warringah are a class act and I don’t expect them to be down for long, so we need to be ready and at Rat Park even more so.

“We have a few players that can play more minutes this weekend which will help us and Dion Spice will be there in the No.9 which gives everyone confidence.

“But we still have one or two out still and are working hard to find a good balance.”

Jack Debreczini got some game time last weekend but his availability is in the hands of his Japanese club.

But he has worked closely with the Wests backs this week and Gudmunson is expecting to see some pay out of his involvement.

It’s the Rats big juniors day and they are hoping to put on a bit of a show for all the local kids that will be there.

A special jersey has been struck with the names of all the registered juniors from all of the Warringah junior clubs.

But the smell of that big loss to Gordon is still about.

Warringah coach Mike Ruthven said: “We took our medicine from last week, had a really good review of the game and had some key areas to work on for the week.

“Wests will be a very good opposition this weekend. They have too many good players and like us will be looking for a good performance.

“If we can limit our errors, be well disciplined and starve them of the footy we are confident that we can get the result we are after.

“Wests are a physical side who compete hard so we will need to bounce back and make sure we are up for that challenge. The boys are looking forward to being back at home and putting on a good performance.”

WARRINGAH (1-15):
Sateki Latu, Wes Thomas, Sam Needs, Andrew Davies, Sam Ward ©, Rory Suttor, Charlie McKill, Mungo Mason, Josh Holmes, Tom Halse, Charlie Tupu, Tyson Davis, Seb Wileman (vc), Ben Woolett, Ben Marr.

WEST HARBOUR (1-15):
Sonny Satuala, Tonga Tangitau, Cameron Betham, Visiano Vaheo, Etienne Oosthuizen, Damien Flemming, Kaliova Nacina, Franchis Iremia Saufio, Dion Spice, Patrick Pellegrini, James Turner, Tavite Gadeisuva, Connor Chittenden, Rod Davies, Josh Coward.

LAST TIME: Warringah W 57-29 JULY 13, 2019

EASTERN SUBURBS has the bye

IMAGE: JESSICA READING / READING MEDIA