By Angus Hayman

Round two of the Shute Shield colts season saw several sides back up strong starts with Manly, Gordon, Randwick, West Harbour, Hunter and Sydney Uni all recording impressive wins.

While some teams continued to build momentum early in the year, others were left searching for answers after inconsistent performances, with Norths and Eastwood struggling to find form and Easts falling short in a tight derby clash.

Manly 33 – 0 Northern Suburbs

Manly delivered a clinical performance under lights on Friday night at Manly Oval, shutting out Northern Suburbs in a dominant display.

The home side opened the scoring through a well-worked set piece play, scored by winger Tom Dunn in the corner. 

They quickly doubled their lead through second rower Charlie Galligan, who powered over after sustained forward pressure to give the home side a 12-0 lead. 

Norths had opportunities to respond, building phases and field position, but were unable to convert, with multiple maul attempts repelled by Manly’s defence.

Manly capitalised, with scrumhalf Faber slicing through off a sharp show and go, before Dunn grabbed his second to give the hosts a commanding 26-0 lead at the break.

Heavy rain in the second half turned the contest into a grind but Manly remained in control, sealing the result with a late try to fullback Bousie after a handling error from Norths.

The result secured a bonus point win for Manly in a complete performance.

West Harbour 27 – 17 Western Sydney

West Harbour claimed a hard-fought win over Western Sydney in a physical but mostly stop-start contest.

Both sides took time to settle before Wests struck the first blow, capitalising on a lineout steal to score a counter attack try. 

Western Sydney hit back with consecutive five pointers, first through a rolling maul and then from a quick tap, but the Pirates took a 12-10 lead to the half time break following an opportunistic try to hooker Lorenzo Papini. 

The home side came out strongly after the break, with winger Kaylan Morris finishing in the corner before No.8 Stanleigh Stone crashed over to extend the margin.

A yellow card to Western Sydney proved costly, although they showed resilience to fight back with a converted try. However, a second sin bin halted any momentum, with Wests holding firm to close out a 27-17 bonus point win.

Gordon 41 – 28 Warringah

Gordon stamped themselves as early contenders with a commanding win over Warringah, built on a dominant first half.

The visitors struck early through tighthead Justin Amituanai, before sustained pressure and a slick offload put second rower Jack Bell over to make it 14-0.

Warringah responded with a pick and go try, but Gordon continued to control the contest, with winger Roach capitalising on a turnover before three further tries blew the lead out to 38-7 at half time.

The second half told a different story, with Warringah finding rhythm and scoring through flanker Vili Finau, sparking a resurgence.

The Rats capitalised on broken play and improved possession, adding further tries to close the gap, but the deficit proved too large.

Gordon held on for a 41-28 win, while Warringah showed fight to claim a bonus point.

Hunter 49 – 12 Eastwood

Hunter produced a strong attacking display to comfortably account for Eastwood in a high-scoring contest.

After an even opening, the Wildfires opened the scoring following an Eastwood error near their own line.

Momentum quickly swung Hunter’s way, with an intercept try extending the lead before Eastwood responded through a long-range solo effort to stay in touch.

Hunter finished the half strongly, with centre Charlie Aldridge crashing over to take a 21-7 lead into the break.

The home side lifted in the second half, showing greater composure in attack. Campbell Hyde grabbed his second off the back of a dominant scrum, before Hunter added further tries to blow the game open.

Eastwood score a late consolation try through their forwards but Hunter had the final say, sealing a 49-12 bonus point win.

Randwick 34 – 26 Eastern Suburbs

Randwick claimed a crucial derby win over Eastern Suburbs in a match that swung dramatically across both halves.

Easts struck first through a sharp counter attack but Randwick quickly responded, with prop Tyson Burden crossing after pressure inside the attacking 22.

The visitors then took control, running in three consecutive tries as they dominated possession and territory, heading into the break with a commanding 28-5 lead.

Easts fought back strongly in the second half, sparked by an intercept try that shifted momentum. They added two more tries through slick backline play and a clever set-piece move to close the gap to five points.

However, discipline proved costly, with yellow cards and penalties allowing Randwick to steady and close out the match with a late penalty goal.

The 34-26 result secured a bonus point win for Randwick in a high-quality contest.

Sydney Uni 55-19 Southern Districts

Sydney Uni bounced back in emphatic fashion, running in a big win over Southern Districts.

Uni struck inside the opening minutes through Tom Watts, before further pressure and a yellow card to Souths allowed Samuel Niulala to extend the lead with a long-range effort.

The Students continued to build, adding another before Souths responded through a fake maul move leaving the visitors stunned.

But Uni dominated the remainder of the half, capitalising on errors and poor exits to run in multiple tries and take a commanding 36-5 lead into the break.

Souths showed glimpses early in the second half, but Uni’s class proved too strong, with Niulala again creating for his outside backs.

A brief scuffle saw both sides reduced to 14 men, but Uni finished the stronger, sealing a 55-19 bonus point win to get their season underway.