By MARK CASHMAN

Manly have given new chum Harley Attwater the chance to show his skills against his old club as the lead up to the big northern beaches derby heats up.

Attwater, who moved from Warringah to the Village Green last month to get more time on the field, has been picked at flyhalf and will pull the strings for the Marlins on Saturday.

He has been settling into Manly’s patterns in recent weeks and will be key player in the way the big derby plays out on Saturday.

The Marlins had a big win over Penrith at Nepean Rugby Park on Saturday while the Rats stumbled against Southern Districts after a hot start.

The Manly v Warringah game is the 7TWO TV match of the round while the battle of the west between the Two Blues and Penrith will be streamed live with a commentary team on the sideline adding to the occasion.

The top six teams have a seven point break on the chasing pack and it’s essential that teams like Easts, Warringah and Manly keep winning to stay in touch.

There were lots of options for the match of the round with Norths v Eastwood, Randwick v Gordon and Southern Districts v Eastern Suburbs all vital for the way the race for the finals plays out.

Here are the teams for Saturday’s big games.