The competition’s two best and arguably the two most exciting teams to watch will meet in Saturday’s Shute Shield grand final at Leichhardt Oval.

Between them, they’ve lost just one match in the last three months meaning both Norths and Randwick will take plenty of confidence in Saturday arvo’s decider.

Earlier this week, we spoke to both coaches and asked them what they thought of their grand final opponent.

Tickets – https://shuteshield.rugby/tickets/2023-charter-hall-shute-shield-grand-final

Zak Beer – Northern Suburbs

“We beat them at Coogee, then they beat us at North Sydney this year,” Beer told Rugby News. 

“They’ve been in red hot form and they’ve got a young team that like to play an open style of footy, similar to us. It should make for an entertaining contest. 

“We’ve come a long way since we lost to Randwick in round 14. This year we’ve lost to four sides and we’ve able to learn from each loss and come back and beat those other three teams in the return fixture so hopefully we can add Randwick to that list this weekend. 

“Ben Dowling is a significant threat. I know he’s under a bit of an injury cloud but if he’s not in, James Hendren is equally as dangerous. 

“Christian Yassmin is another fantastic outside back. 

“In the forward pack, Cormac Daly and Ben Houston have been playing fantastic footy all year. 

“They’re a well drilled and well coached side and we’re really looking forward to the challenge.”

Steve Hoiles – Randwick

“We’ve played quite a few sides that have tried to slow our style of rugby down this year but I feel as though Norths are another side like us that try to play an expansive and exciting style of rugby,” Hoiles told Rugby News. 

“They probably have the best ball movement in the competition. 

“They’ve got a good No.10 who controls the game well. He has a strong kicking game, a strong running game, he’s quite versatile. 

“I can’t tell you how the game is going to unfold but as a rugby fan, I’m excited that we’ve got two sides that play an entertaining style in the decider and it should be great to watch. 

“I’ve been really impressed by their No.8 Luke Gersekowski this year.

“Nick Duffy looks to be a bit of a heartbeat for them, he brings lots of energy. Jude (Gibbs) is obviously very good, (Harry) Burey is a great player, then they’ve got lots of speed our wide with guys like Seb Cameron. 

“They’ve also got a lot of depth. Bringing on a player like Charlie Jeavons-Fellows late in the match is an advantage. They’ve also got a couple of Northern Hemisphere front rowers who have got a great job. 

“Their 9-10 combination is dangerous, then I think Charlie Jeavons-Fellows off the bench always has an impact. I think he’s one of the best No.7s in the comp. He’s good on the ball and good in attack. He’s got a well rounded game.”