Gordon and Norths jumped clear at the top of the Shute Shield ladder after notching consecutive wins to start the season over the weekend, while Eastwood, Uni, Manly and Hunter also claimed their first wins.

We kept an eye on all the action throughout round two and have picked five of the best performers from last weekend.

Mahe Vailanu – Gordon

Mahe Vailanu won the 2020 Catchpole Medal before heading over to the US for a stint in the MLR and showed why he was voted the best player in the competition in Gordon’s win over Souths. 

Vailanu had a hand in everything, scoring twice and setting up a third try in the first half in the Stags’ 44-22 win. The hooker has won three premierships at three different clubs in his past five seasons and will play a key role in Gordon’s Shute Shield title defence later this year.  

Matt Ryan – Northern Suburbs 

After making his first grade debut in last week’s win over Easts, pint sized Norths’ fullback Matt Ryan showed why he’s one of the most exciting young players floating around the North Shore in his side’s win over Warringah. 

Ryan played No.10 in Norths’ first grade colts side last year and has an identical twin brother Luke who is equally as handy and started in the centres in second grade on Saturday. You won’t get them confused though, Matt has grown a nice mullet to help us tell the two apart. 

Jack Bowen – Eastern Suburbs

In a losing side, 18-year old Beasties No.10 Jack Bowen showed glimpses of why new coach Simon Kneebone rates the young playmaker so highly. 

A trip to a heavy TG Millner track is about as tough as it gets in the Shute Shield and Bowen more than held his own. He’s only going to get better week by week and will be one to watch as Easts hit their straps throughout the season. 

Manly 1-15 in first half

On a gloomy weekend in Sydney, the sun came out in time for Manly to produce their best 40 minutes of footy in quite some time. It’s something Manly fans have been waiting quite some time to see again. 

It’s hard to pick out individuals when a team scores six tries in a half of footy. The Marlins speed and execution was brilliant. They took the foot off the pedal in the second half but showed enough to give Manly fans plenty of hope, two weeks out from the Northern Beaches derby. 

Lona Halaholo – Hunter

The best player in Queensland’s Premier Rugby competition last year is starting to make his mark on the Shute Shield. 

Halaholo scored a crucial try to swing momentum in his side’s favour against a Two Blues side that showed plenty, particularly in the opening 60 minutes. 

Mitch Ryan – Sydney University

On debut for the Students, big, abrasive Kiwi lock Mitch Ryan seems like he’ll fit right in at Camperdown. Ryan looks strong at lineout time and is tough and hard working around the park. 

He scored a try from close range and showed some good, quick hands to shift the ball to space early in Uni’s long range try in the second half. 

Feature Image: Clay Cross