Eastern Suburbs saw off Warringah 31-15 in the Shute Shield on Friday evening. The hosts controlled proceedings from the outset, building on their recent home form to secure a victory that vindicated our 68 per cent confidence in them before kickoff. The result keeps them in contention for a finals spot.
Warringah arrived in decent nick after beating Randwick twice in August, but they found themselves chasing the game from the first whistle. Eastern Suburbs, meanwhile, had been scoring freely at home — 59-22 against Eastwood, 38-0 against another Eastwood fixture — and they put that momentum to work. The away side never really got a foothold.
We had called this one at the start of the week. The hosts are back in full training and the old head settled them down when Warringah tried to tighten things up. It was not a surprise when they found a way through again, but the margin was perhaps sharper than expected. Warringah gave up the ball and hit them on the break, but Eastern Suburbs had already built enough of a cushion.
The scoreline tells its own story — 31 points on the board against 15 for the visitors. Eastern Suburbs have now won four of their last five, with only the loss to Sydney University on August 8th breaking the pattern. Warringah's inconsistency continues, particularly away from home where they have struggled to contain opposition attacks.
What matters now is the table. Eastern Suburbs are in control of the tie for them, sitting comfortably in their position with points to spare. The clean-sheet run came to an end for Warringah, but that is hardly the headline here. The hosts fancy their chances of a top-four finish, and this win took a step in that direction.