We’re a month in to the Shute Shield season and we’re starting to get a better understanding of each side’s potential for the season ahead. 

Here’s what we’ve learnt so far. 

Last year’s grand finalists remain the benchmark

From the first four rounds, Randwick and Norths appear to be the best sides in the competition at this stage but neither side is perfect. 

Both sides have won three of their first four matches and will meet for the first time since last year’s decider on what is expected to be a wet afternoon at North Sydney Oval this Saturday. 

Despite a slip up against Warringah, Randwick are playing like the defending premiers. Their attack is electric and they’ve had the best discipline so far this year.

Norths dropped their opening match against Uni but have been dominant since and the short passing of the Shoremen forwards has been super impressive. 

There are whispers that Max Jorgensen may play for Randwick on Saturday, which makes it well worth pulling out the rain coat, or at least getting comfy on a couch somewhere to watch the grand final rematch. 

Easts and Warringah are the new threats

Two sides that missed the playoffs last year, Easts and Warringah both appear to be completely different sides in 2024. 

New Easts coach Ben Batger and new Warringah coach Josh Holmes both recruited heavily over summer and so far it looks to be working. You’d think both sides will only improve as they play more minutes together as well. 

While the recruits have made a difference, the combinations of Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen in the halves at Easts and Ben Marr and Ben Woollett in the outside backs at Warringah are also causing headaches for opposition sides. 

Wilson has been called in to the Aussie 7s program and Ben Batger will be desperate to get him back before the end of the regular season. 

It’s hard to pick Manly, Two Blues, Gordon, Hunter and Uni

The jury remains out on the middle third of the ladder. 

Manly and the Two Blues have won three of their four matches but haven’t really set the world on fire.

Gordon, Hunter and Uni have all won two from four. 

At their best, all five sides look capable of playing and winning finals matches but the gap between their best and worst rugby looks a fair bit wider than the sides spoken about earlier in this article. 

In saying that, it is still very early in the season and we should know a lot more about each of these contenders by the mid season break over the June long weekend. 

Eastwood, Souths and West Harbour need to improve but look capable of doing so

The Woodies, Rebels and Pirates haven’t found their feet yet this season but all appear to have a lot of improvement in them. 

Eastwood have a very young side and a new coach. It was always going to take the Woodies time to build into this season and their win over Warringah on a wet day at TG Millner showed Dave Telfer’s young team have the grit and determination needed to close out tight matches. 

Souths are a very different side to last season. Under Joe Barakat, the Rebels scrum and lineout is much improved but the Rebels attack has been pretty scrappy early on.

Souths should have beaten Hunter in round two and had a shot late in the game against Western Sydney last week. They can’t afford to lose tight matches in the coming rounds. 

West Harbour have perhaps been the most disappointing side so far this year. The Pirates finished the season strong and had a fairly settled summer. 

Despite that, they’ve drifted in and out of games too often so far this year. 

Wins between now and the June long weekend, particularly against each other, will be crucial for all three sides.