There were a handful of surprising results on the opening weekend of the 2023 Shute Shield season and some impressive individual performances by some new and familiar faces. 

Here is our Shute Shield team of the week from round one.  

1) Jack Brewer – Northern Suburbs

An impressive 80 minute stint that included 11 carries, 8 tackles and parity with Sydney Uni at scrum time for the majority of the match. That allowed Brewer’s backs to attack on the front foot and steal all the credit on Saturday night.

2) Phil Bradford – Hunter

The best try thief in the Shute Shield added to his tally in round one and had a strong afternoon in Newcastle. Even Bradford’s overthrows led to tries. While Bubba Coleman will want his hooker to execute better, the Wildfires did what they needed to against Manly. 

3) Hunter Stewart – Randwick 

Part of a very good Randwick front row that dominated the Rats pack, particularly early in the second half, 23-year old prop Hunter Stewart did his job at set piece time and was solid around the park, making 14 tackles.

4) Hugh Margin – Warringah

Four pilfers and a mountain of work. Margin was very good in a losing side and looked to thrive in the tough conditions at Rat Park. 

5) Cormac Daly – Randwick

The big Irish lock looked at home in the wet and added a tough, physical presence to the Wicks’ pack. Cormac broke through the Warringah lineout in the final moments of the game to seal victory. 

6) Michael Icely – Eastwood

Icely was a standout for an Eastwood side who were unlucky not to take the points home on Saturday. The backrower scored a try, carried all day and broke plenty of tackles in the wet. 

7) Archie Gavin – Eastern Suburbs

Named captain for 2023, Gavin was everywhere against the Woodies, making 14 tackles and snagging a few pilfers in the Beasties last minute victory at Woollahra.

8) Luke Gersekowski – Northern Suburbs 

The former Australian Schoolboy skipper scored a try on debut for his new club and did a heap of work around the park in a very good Northern Suburbs’ performance.

9) Connor Tupai – Randwick

Born in New Zealand but raised in England, Tupai was fantastic on his Shute Shield debut. The nippy No.9 scored two tries by backing up his teammates and controlled the game nicely.

10) Jude Gibbs – Northern Suburbs

It would have been tough for Uni fans to watch Jude Gibbs perform so well in a different jersey. The No.10 was brilliant. He looks at home in the red and black and set up a brilliant try from a chip and chase late in the match. 

11) Ratu Tagive – Northern Suburbs

Two tries and metres every time he touched the ball, Tagive was great in his Australian return after spending time in Glasgow. He also likes walks along the beach and is newly single according to a recent Wikipedia update that also suspiciously mentions a few other Norths’ teammates. 

12) Nick Chan – Randwick

One of the most underrated players in the Shute Shield, Chan set up a great try in the first half and caused four turnovers in Randwick’s tight win over Warringah

13) Jackson Ropata – Southern Districts 

Souths unearthed a serious talent on Saturday. Still 18, Ropata rose to prominence in the NSW U18s program last year and has been picked in the Junior Wallabies. He didn’t disappoint in his first grade debut, making metres, beating defenders and offloading nicely all afternoon. 

14) Senijiale Dawai – West Harbour 

Former Pirates coach Joe Barakat had big wraps on Senijiale Dawai at the end of last season and the winger showed why in his side’s tight win over the Two Blues. Dawai was busy, made lots of metres and broke plenty of tackles on Saturday. 

15) Isaac Ratumaitavuki-Kneepens – Southern Districts

The Rebels’ new fullback also looks to be a serious talent. A former Fijian U20s, Ratumaitavuki-Kneepens looked dangerous every time he touched the ball. He also controlled the game well from the back in the wet, particularly when the Rebels were down to 13 players.