By Matt Findlay Gordon’s 12-point win over Eastern Suburbs last Friday night was their fourth victory on the trot and their seventh from eight starts this season but, most importantly, it was another confidence boost leading into a potentially season-defining fortnight. The McMahon Memorial Shield’s top four has broken away from the chasing pack, with 12 points now separating fourth and fifth, and while the Highlanders are firmly entrenched in that group the next two weeks could make or break their minor premiership claim. The Highlanders are in a share for third with Manly, four points adrift of the top two in undefeated Randwick and Sydney University outfits, who face-off in a top-of-the-table epic this weekend. While they don’t draw Uni, the only side they’ve lost to, again in the regular season the Highlanders face the Marlins and Randwick in a challenging fortnight before a relatively easy run to the finals, a seven-week stint where a rematch with Easts shapes