Finals footy strips it all back. No ladder to hide behind, no next week to bank on - just 80 minutes and a seat at the last dance on the line. Both prelims delivered exactly that. One was billed as a clash of the comeback kings. The other threw the minor premiers at a side that had morphed into a fully operational Death Star. Two went home, two are still standing, and the decider's locked in.

Where else would you rather be? GF tickets are on sale now on the Shute Shield site. It's the last dance of the season, and Leichhardt's the place to be. Get your bum to the hill!

Wraps below - go find out who's dancing.

Before we get stuck in, our thoughts are with Wes Thomas, who suffered a serious neck injury this season. Wes, the entire Shute Shield community is right behind you, mate. If you are able to, please get around the GoFundMe and chip in whatever you can.

Warringah v Gordon
Rats def Stags 46-19

Well, this was a clash of the comeback kings. Rats’ discipline was costly in the opening minutes, naughty boy Sateki (Pit bull) Latu was shown the Brie for scrum technicalities above my pay grade. Stags were continuously knocking on the door inside the opening 10, Rats managed to hang on. Milan Bass(o)on almost had Gordon in front but held up the call. Eventually the numerical disadvantage proved costly. Gordon’s scrum attack has been elite all year and a brain lapse from the Rat King, Ben Marr let a dribbling ball into the in-goal to which Brandon (Harley) Quinn raced onto it and dotted down. Rats scurried into gear and (peelin) Keelan Whitman, assisted by Charlie (licence to) McKill in his 100th, flopped over under the pointy things. Byron Smith converted. Wind in their tails, Warringah suddenly had the rub of the green. With 10 to play, Rats were dominating possession. The ball went wide and Archie (Colonel) Saunders dove sideways into the corner. Smith converted. Final play of the half, Smith knocked over an easy three. Halftime.

Gordon were finding good pay with their scrum and four minutes in, Basson wouldn’t be denied this time. Harry Snook converted. Rats replied immediately and Luke (Vader) Reimer went through on a short ball and straight under the pointy things. Smith converted. Only 10 had been played but you could feel Warringah’s dominance. The discipline had flipped and suddenly Stags were giving away penalty after penalty. Before you knew it, (Mike) Tyson Davis was in the corner. Smith converted. Stags lost Cole(s) Spinks and Cam (Steele) Wood to injury and you felt it on the pitch. Still they held on. With 25 to go, Harry (Kane) Goddard sneaked in to close the gap. Snook converted. In the process, McKill was shown the Gruyere for repeated infringements. Momentum well and truly with the Rats and Smith knocked over another three. Shortly after, Lebron Naea went in untouched. Smith converted. The icing was on the cake but with three to go, the coltie, Riley (young blud) Whitfield put the cherry on top. Rat Park is a tough place to play at the best of times, but a home preliminary final is horrendous. The reigning champs showed us why. Considering the off-field noise at the start of the year, Gordon sure gave it a hell of a crack, well in, lads. Fulltime.

Eastern Suburbs v Sydney Uni
Beasties def Uni 38-31

Full disclosure: this was a tough one to write. The minor prems versus the fully operational Death Star. Easts, as they always do, started hot. Bryn (portobello) Davies burrowed over at maul time. Sid Harvey converted. But Uni replied. A silky set piece gave Benjy (we get it you’re good) Joseland the ball down the edge and, as much as it pains me to say, he found the chalk. It took all but five minutes but Beasties were in again. Ollie (Richard) Dawkins flipped his way into the corner. The first half was a classic game of Pong, both teams going one-for-one. This time it was Folau (beast mode) Fainga’a who was over. Joey Fowler converted. It was a scintillating half to watch - despite Easts being the worst place to spectate a game - you could taste the tension. The scores all level, Easts found another gear and Teddy (bear) Wilson sniped over. Harvey converted. With seven to play, Uni naughty boy, the seeded fruit, Joe (Mango) Manglesdorf was shown the Gouda for repeated infringements. Minutes later, Easts’ maul went to work again and Davies had two. Harvey converted. Right on the stroke of half time, minutes after the bell and Uni’s my captain, oh captain, Eamon (Susan) Doyle flopped over. Halftime.

Nine the difference, Uni looked like they were on the brink of a comeback. A red-hot set piece was stolen by Harvey and he raced away under the sticks. Harvey converted. “You can’t help but feel more points coming,” well bang on was the call. A loose pass from Easts was snatched by, ugh, you guessed it, Joseland and he raced home from 70 out. Fowler converted. Both sides are awesome at turning defence into attack. Cue the Imperial March because the Students were a-rollin’. Joseland bagged ANOTHER hat-trick. To put it in perspective, by the semis he had 20, he finished the year on 27. WTF. Anyway, back to the footy. Fowler converted. Two the difference and 15 to play, Easts were on the attack. Uni giving away penalties and subsequently on the back foot. Off went Tom (boy) Girle, serious pace for a number five and he edged Easts further in front. With 10 to play, it’s safe to say ya boy was shaking. Clock well and truly red, Uni were dominating possession and they almost had it but to no avail. A young team with ridiculous talent and a season they should be undeniably proud of, UTS. Beasties are rolling into the final with some serious form. Fulltime. Game of the round.