After five rounds of the 2022 Shute Shield season, it’d be hard to find anyone that could have predicted a number of the results we’ve seen so far this year.

Manly, Western Sydney and Hunter have all improved dramatically, with Easts, Souths and Randwick are yet to find their best.

We’ve graded each side’s performance from the opening five rounds.

Eastern Suburbs: C

The Beasties haven’t quite lived up to their preseason hype under new coach Simon Kneebone. They looked to have turned a corner after beating Randwick in a tight local derby, but didn’t show up against Souths a week later. 

For a new side, with a new coach, playing a new style, there’s still a long way to go. But if they can find their best at some point this year, Easts are going to be hard to beat. 

Eastwood: A+

The competition leaders have been brilliant in four straight wins, following a disappointing performance in the opening round. From 1-15, the Woodies are a very good football side that will only improve post Super Rugby. 

The tight win over Norths and last week’s demolition of Warringah suggest Eastwood are genuine premiership contenders. 

Gordon: B-

After winning their opening two matches, Gordon have lost their last three and will be disappointed with their start to the year. 

Tight losses against Warringah and Randwick suggest the 2020 premiers have what it takes but are potentially still missing a bit of polish, particularly towards the back end of matches. Make Vailanu will be a big inclusion later in the season. 

Hunter: B+

Hunter have taken a big step forward from last year and still seem to have quite a lot of improvement in them. Flyhalf Connor Winchester has been great since returning to Newcastle, as have centres Luke Nadurutalo and Nafi Tuitavake. No.8 Lona Haloholo still has his best footy ahead of him as well. 

There won’t be any easy trips to Newcastle this year.   

Manly: A +

After winning just four matches in two seasons, not even the most optimistic Marlin would have tipped their side to win four of their first five in 2022. 

The likes of 21-year old Nic Benn, 22-year old Hunter Ward and 20-year old Langi Gleeson have helped revitalise a Manly team that still looks to be getting better every week. 

They face a tough test at home against Eastwood on Saturday, which should show us just how good Manly really are.

Northern Suburbs: B

Norths looked to be the clear cut competition favourites after starting the season with three impressive wins, but the wheels have come off slightly in recent weeks. 

While the Shoremen are scoring on average 36 points a game, they conceded far too many in back to back losses against Eastwood and Manly and looked out of sorts towards the end of both games. 

You’d expect Norths to bounce back though and be right in contention later this year. 

Southern Districts: C

Souths produced their best performance of the year to beat Easts on Saturday but before that, the Rebels had been poor and were in last spot heading into round five. 

There are a lot of new faces in Todd Louden’s team though and a handful of Super Rugby players set to return to Forshaw later in the year for the first time in quite a while. 

Sydney University: B-

Sean Hedger’s new look Sydney Uni team had been fairly impressive up until Saturday’s disappointing loss against a red hot Two Blues side. 

There are enough signs to suggest the Students will be right in the mix later in the year though. A number of former colts already look comfortable in first grade and the Uni maul is near impossible to stop. 

Randwick: C

Another side in the good, not great category. Randwick showed plenty of grit to close out a tight win over Gordon at a muddy Chatswood Oval in round five but missed opportunities against Easts and Manly. 

Randwick will welcome back plenty of talent later in the year but will need to make the most of some winnable matches in the coming weeks to stay in touch with the top end of the ladder. 

Warringah: B-

The Rats looked good in the opening rounds but were disappointing in the derby against Manly and were embarrassed by Eastwood last week. 

At their best, the Rats could be genuine contenders but they’ve been far from that in recent weeks. Ben Marr’s return following his stint with the Aussie 7s will have a big impact on the squad. 

West Harbour: C

West Harbour’s inconsistency must be frustrating coach Joe Barakat. The Pirates were great in a big win over Souths in round four, then fell away in the final 20 minutes against Hunter a week later. 

West Harbour can score points, but they’ll need to defend better to move up the ladder this season. 

Western Sydney: A-

The highlight of the Shute Shield season so far for everyone but Gordon and Sydney Uni fans. Sailosi Tagicakibau has recruited brilliantly and got his side all on the same page remarkably quickly, highlighted by recent wins over the Stags and Students. 

Perhaps the best indication of the turnaround at the Two Blues is the fact the club’s second grade side are currently second and their fourth grade are sixth. 

There’s plenty to like about the Two Blues so far.