Sid Harvey marks Shute Shield return with a super try and minor premiership

One month you’re playing alongside one another for Australia in Italy, the next you’re lining up against one another for your Sydney clubs in the Shute Shield. That was the reality for former junior Blue Boars Sid Harvey and Joey Fowler on Saturday when they met in the penultimate round of the 2025 campaign.

A few weeks after guiding Australia to a fifth-place finish at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, Harvey and Fowler made their club footy returns when Harvey’s Eastern Suburbs took on Fowler’s Sydney University.

Harvey started at fullback in the first colts match on Thursday night as Easts went down 26-24 against Uni, and also featuring in that match was another former junior Blue Boar, Jonty Fowler, as the youngest of the Fowler brothers lined up for Easts at five-eighth in the number 10 jersey.

That result saw Sydney Uni finish the weekend ranked third and Easts end it ranked fifth in the first colts competition.

Saturday’s first grade match between the two clubs saw Joey start for Sydney University in the number 10 jersey and Harvey come off the bench for Easts. It was Easts who got the job done on the day as they secured the minor premiership with a 42-15 victory.

Harvey scored the final try of that contest to seal a memorable win in front of a home crowd at Woollahra Oval. His Easts and Australian sevens teammate Henry Paterson made a break down the left wing, and the Blue Boars junior supported him on the inside and eventually received a pass on the 22 before shrugging off a defender to score the final try of the day.

Easts have now won 16 games in 17 matches and will be looking to make that 17 in 18 during their last game of the regular season on Saturday when they take on Gordon at Chatswood Oval.

Sid’s sister Martha also lined up at Woollahra Oval on Saturday. She started at halfback as her Easts side progressed to the final week of the playoffs in the Women’s Premier Rugby Chikarovski Cup Pool B competition.

Martha’s team beat Campbelltown 32-26 to set up a showdown against Souths at Concord Oval this Saturday.

It has been a super year for Easts so far, with the club in the box seat to claim the overall and the grade club championship trophies for 2025.