Manly lead the competition after six rounds, while Western Sydney claimed their third straight win and moved into the Shute Shield top eight.

Very few would have thought that possible heading into the 2022 season, but the competition somehow keeps getting tighter.

Catch up on all the action from round six over the weekend.

Manly 34-32 Eastwood

Manly kicked a penalty goal in the 77th minute to secure top spot on the Shute Shield ladder and an impressive 34-32 victory over competition frontrunners Eastwood. 

After conceding a try early, the Marlins forwards took control and scored twice to take a lead that they held until the 74th minute. 

Eastwood refused to go away though and remained within striking distance all match.  The visitors scored the luckiest try of the season midway through the second half when winger Sam Delores clearly dropped the ball over the line. 

In front of a full Manly Oval grandstand, Delores put his hands to his head in misery and looked shocked when the referee awarded the questionable five pointer. 

Eastwood scored and kicked a penalty goal to take a two point lead with eight minutes remaining but Manly continued to attack and make metres through their big, mobile forward pack. 

Inside centre Kemueli Valetini slotted a penalty goal from close to the posts to regain the lead in the final minutes before Manly held onto the ball to secure a famous win. 

After six rounds, the Marlins have lost just one match and sit three points clear of second placed Eastwood at the top of the ladder. 

Sydney Uni 17-12 Norths

Sydney Uni held on to claim a gritty 17-12 victory and hand Norths their third narrow defeat in as many weeks. 

The Students opened the scoring with a try from a patient but very well constructed driving maul. 

Norths hit back when Max Burey broke the line and offloaded to Dave Henaway but Uni quickly responded and took a 12-7 lead to the break after debutant Clem Halaholo crossed from close range. 

Early in the second half, Max Burey levelled the scores with a brilliant individual try. From slightly broken play, Burey showed good speed to break the Uni midfield, then kicked and regathered to score in the corner. 

Uni centre Eddie Poolman then produced a similar effort to break the line and get his side on the front, which led to a Mitch Whiteley try and a 17-12 lead. 

For the third straight week, Norths had a chance to steal victory after the full time siren, but again they failed to execute in the closing stages, eventually spilling a pass in the 83rd minute to end the match. 

Hunter 41-38 Randwick

Hunter flyhalf Connor Winchester had a perfect afternoon with the boot to help the Wildfires claim potentially their biggest scalp in recent years, beating Randwick 41-38 at Coogee Oval. 

In a high scoring affair, Randwick winger Christian Yassmin scored three tries and barnstorming lock Alex Hills scored once and set up a second try for the home side. 

But Hunter continually had an answer, with the Wildfires big, aggressive forwards scoring four of their side’s five tries. 

Yassmin scored the third of his three tries in the 60th minute to give Randwick a 38-31 lead. But Hunter hit back with a try to hooker Phil Bradford in the 70th minute, then a Winchester penalty goal in the 78th minute to take a three point lead. 

Randwick attacked after the full time siren but spilled the ball just as they got into Hunter territory, handing the visitors victory. 

Warringah 32-31 Easts

Ben Woollett kicked a penalty goal after the full time siren to help Warringah claim an important 32-29 victory over Easts after trailing 24-5 at half time. 

Easts dominated the opening stanza, scoring three tries through forwards Moli Sooaemalelagi, Jeremy Williams and Archie Gavin to take a comfortable lead to the break. 

Warringah hit back, first through Max Girdler, then through Tyson Davis who kicked in field to an offside teammate, then regathered to score a controversial try. 

Flyhalf Conor Hickey gave the visitors a 29-24 lead when he broke through some lazy Beasties’ defence and showed good pace to cross near the posts. 

Replacement forward Reon Lowry stole the lead back for Easts with six minutes remaining but Warringah would have the final say. 

After attacking deep inside Easts’ territory for several minutes, Warringah were awarded a controversial penalty in front of the posts for a high tackle that is difficult to spot on the replay. 

Ben Woollett slotted the three pointer to seal a one point victory and avoid a third straight loss. 

The Rats jump into the top eight following the win, while the luckless Beasties are 10th with just two wins from six matches in 2022. 

Western Sydney 28-25 Southern Districts

Western Sydney claimed their third straight victory to jump into the Shute Shield top eight, beating Southern Districts 28-25 at Eric Tweedale Stadium. 

The Two Blues led 21-8 early in the second half following tries scrumhalf Rally Suesue and forwards Irie Papuni and Aleks Dabek. 

But the Rebels hit back with tries to Christian Yassmin and replacement No.9 Toka Sopoaga to trail by just one point. 

With the match in the balance, it was Western Sydney that looked the more composed of the two sides. Flyhalf Tom Curtis continued his good form and threw a lovely pass to centre Augustine Mafoe to give the Two Blues an eight point lead with six minutes remaining. 

Souths struggled to make the most of their opportunities in the final minutes but eventually crossed to secure two bonus points from the disappointing performance. 

The Two Blues continue to look better week after week and should get a good indication of exactly where they fit in this competition, following back to back clashes against Warringah, Eastwood, Norths and Manly in the next four weeks. 

Gordon 24-14 West Harbour

Gordon ended a three match losing streak and secured their spot in the top eight with an important 24-14 win over West Harbour. 

The Highlanders opened the scoring with a try from a driving maul and took a 12-7 lead to the break after winger Alesana Pohla continued his good form and somehow found space to scored down the western touchline. 

Gordon then extended their lead early in the second half when No.9 Jonny Van De Velde finished a well worked set piece move by the Highlanders backline. 

The Pirates barged over from close range inside the final 10 minutes to reduce the deficit to five points, but Gordon controlled the final minutes and crossed in the final play to secure a 10 point victory.