Round 13 dished up more brilliant Shute Shield rugby, with five of the six matches decided by a converted try or less. With five rounds remaining, the race for a finals berth is now closer than ever after a number of surprising results.

Warringah 30-29 Randwick

Warringah have jumped to second spot after holding on to claim a one point win over Randwick and hand the Galloping Greens their first loss of the season at Coogee Oval.

Rats winger Harry Jones bagged a hat trick and gave his side a 30-14 lead midway through the second half, before the home side hit back with two late tries.

Warringah’s backline looked dangerous all afternoon and while Randwick showed glimpses of their best, they allowed Warringah to hit back immediately after scoring points twice in the first half.

The second placed Rats are now three competition points clear of Randwick in third.

West Harbour 43-36 Eastwood

West Harbour have caused their second big upset in as many weeks, running in seven tries to beat Eastwood 43-36 at Concord Oval.

The Woodies started brilliantly and led 12-0 early, before West Harbour took control and scored four unanswered tries, including a hat trick to centre Ben Cotton.

Eastwood hit back with a penalty try, but the Pirates could smell blood and scored twice more to claim a 43-22 lead.

Eastwood scored two more tries late in the match and had a chance to score and win against a 14-man West Harbour side in the closing stages, but the Pirates defence held strong, as the home side kept their slim finals hopes alive.

Sydney Uni 37-35 Northern Suburbs

Sydney Uni gained a little revenge on Northern Suburbs for last year’s grand final loss, beating the Shoreman 37-35 at North Sydney Oval to stay in touch with the top six.

A host of representative players returned for both sides but it was the Sydney Uni forwards who dominated early, crossing for three tries to give the visitors 19-6 lead.

Norths reduced the deficit to just three points following a converted try and penalty goal on either side of the half time break before Uni winger Christain Kagiassis stole momentum back for the Students, scoring twice and adding another penalty goal to set up a 34-16 lead.

Uni lost a man to the bin midway through the second half and Norths capatalised quickly, scoring three tries in the final 15 minutes to reduce the deficit to just two points with two minutes remaining.

But the Students held on to hand Norths their sixth loss in seven matches. Norths are now sixth, five competition points ahead of the seventh placed Students.

Manly 41-36 Eastern Suburbs

Manly held off a fast finishing Eastern Suburbs side to claim a 41-36 win at Centennial Park and consolidate their spot on top of the Shute Shield ladder.

The Marlins began brilliantly and scored twice from driving mauls to lead 14-0 early in the match. But on Ladies Day, the Beasties weren’t about to be shown up and scored the next three tries to lead 19-14 at the break.

Both sides exchanged penalty goals early in the second half, before Manly flexed their muscle, crossing for four tries in ten minutes to lead 41-22.

Easts scored twice in the final three minutes and reduced the deficit to six points with time on the clock, but it was too little too late as Manly held on for their 12^th win of the season.

Southern Districts 62-24 Parramatta

Southern Districts have continued their good run of form, claiming a convincing 62-24 bonus point win over Parramatta.

The Rebels scored 10 tries, including a hat trick to winger Luke Smart and while they remain in fifth spot, Souths are now just six competition points from Warringah in second place.

Parramatta did claim a four-try bonus point, thanks to a hat trick to lock Seva Domoni. Domoni was the fourth player to bag a three-try haul this weekend.

The Two Blues face Penrith next weekend, while Souths host Norths.

Gordon 36-30 Penrith

Penrith came agonisingly close to claiming their first win of the season but feel asleep in the second half against a Gordon side playing to keep their finals hopes alive.

The Emus scored three first half tries and led 22-5 before allowing the home side to play their way back into the match.

Highlanders winger Paula Balekana scored his 17^th try for the year to move further ahead as the competition’s leading try scorer. That sparked the home side, who scored six more tries to claim an 11 point lead late in the match.

Penrith crossed late but it wasn’t enough as Gordon secured a much needed six point win.

Round 13 Results: 

Randwick 29 (Tries: A. Deegan, B. O’Donnell, S. Croke, T. Collins; Cons: A. Deegan 3; Pen Cons: A. Deegan) defeated by Warringah 30 (Tries: H. Jones 3, S. Wileman; Cons: H. Angus 2; Pen Cons: H. Angus 2)

West Harbour 43 (Tries: B. Cotton 3, J. Marsters, H. Higgins, J. Kay,  T. Mua; Cons: T. Adams 4; Yellow Card: B. Cotton) defeated Eastwood 36 (Tries: L. WIndon, D. Fitzpatrick, Penalty Try, M. Gonzalez, H. Roach; Cons: T. Hill 3)

Northern Suburbs 35 (Tries: C. Clark, R. Woolf, G. Bautz; Cons: A. Sinclair, C. Clark; Pen Cons: A. Sinclair 3) defeated by Sydney University 37 (Tries: J. Gordon, S. Latu, D. McDuling, C. Kagiassis, L. Swinton; Cons: C. Kagiassis 3; Pen Cons: C. Kagiassis 2; Yellow Card: S. Latu)

Eastern Suburbs 36 (Tries: J. Grant, N. Yeomans, W. Maddocks, A. King 2; Cons: A. King 4; Pen Cons: A King; Yellow Card: C. Fenton) defeated by Manly 41 (Tries: R. Melrose, K. Ale 2, H. Bergelin, A. Crerar, C. Bailey; Cons: S. Lane 4; Pen Cons: S. Lane)

Parramatta 24 (Tries: D. Tamone, S. Domoni 3; Cons: J. Leatigaga 2) defeated by Southern Districts 62 (Tries: A. Perez, B. Paenga-Amosa, L. Smart 3, J. Verran, A. Latunipulu, A. Gibbon, M. Gibbon, R. Kotobalavu Jr; Cons: R. Saifoloi 6; Yellow Card: C. Mitchell)

Gordon 36 (Tries: P. Balekana, J. Maguire, M. McDougall, P. Toeta, L. Papworth, M. Hayter; Cons: P. Toeta 3; Yellow Card: A. Seton) defeated Penrith 30 (Tries: T. Tuaau, R. Vaihu, N. Dalivusa; Cons: J. Faiva; Pen Cons: J. Faiva 2)