One of the most enjoyable aspects of watching club rugby on a Saturday afternoon anywhere in Australia is watching a player you don’t know a whole lot about play like they should be in a Wallabies jersey. The depth in the Shute Shield, particularly in the past two or three years, is incredible and while we marvel at the ability of the Holmes’, Meafua’s and Ale’s of the competition, there are a number of genuine superstars that we don’t talk a whole lot about. Based on stats from our mates at Opta Sport from 2018, here’s our pick of the competition’s most underrated players. Sam Shires - Manly In his second year in Australia, UK forward Sam Shires has played out of his skin and is consistently one of Manly’s best each week. The hardworking forward can play lock or flanker and makes more tackles than any other player in the competition, by quite some way. Marcus Carbone - Southern Districts  Southern Districts captain Marcus Carbone really can do it all