West Harbour have pieced together a near complete performance in wild windy conditions to award Mark Gudmunson and his men their first victory of the Shute Shield season.
The Pirates outclassed their opponents in the latter stages of the match, edging out a 22-19 win against a Manly side which remains out of sorts in 2020.
The result ensures the Pirates reach the half-way stage of the competition with a win under their belt, a number they will be looking to extend on in their remaining six matches.
Despite the impressive victory, West Harbour would have been rueing a poor start after a Manly kick off was knocked on uncontested, awarding the visitors perfect early field position.
The Marlins capitalised, with a well-executed backline manoeuvre gifting speedster Yool Yool space on the edge to score.
West Harbour did not lament their mistake for long however, as Patrick Pellegrini stamped his mark on what would end up being a man of the match performance by the young flyhalf,crashing over for the Pirates first.
After Pellegrini nailed the sideline conversion, the home side took an early 7-5 lead.
The West Harbour momentum continued forward in the following period of the game, however in wasn’t until the 32ndminute that they eventually broke through a brave Marlins defence, Tavite Gadeisuva waltzing over the line for his second in as many weeks.
The home side looked likely to hold the 12-5 lead into the break until a few lazy penalties welcomed Manly down the field, openside flanker Mitchell Tye the beneficiary as scores were levelled heading into the sheds.
A change of ends awarded West Harbour the significant wind advantage in the second half.
Despite this, play remained dominated in the centre portion of the field, a Pellegrini penalty goal the only scoreboard change in the opening 20 minutes of the half.
Manly looked to have stolen late momentum when a HutunaCoffin try was converted by flyhalf Harley Attwater, gifting the visitors their first taste of the lead since the 7th minute.
However, Pellegrini starred late for the Pirates, his maturity in such a key position vital as his kicking game took full advantage of the wind and ensured the home side were quickly camped back down on the Marlins line.
The Pirates kept their composure late as Francis Saufoicrossed for what would become the match winning try.
For a side who has struggled with discipline in 2020, West Harbour sought redemption late. With Manly camped on their line and desperately searching for a late try or penalty, the Pirates remained undeterred and held on for a gutsy 22-19 win.
While West Harbour will draw insurmountable confidence from their victory, they face another tough task next week as they prepare to face competition heavyweights Gordon in Round Seven.
Gordon kept their undefeated record intact yesterday after easing past the Hunter Wildfires 50-7 in Newcastle.
The Pirates will be eager for their opportunity at what would be the seasons biggest upset in front of their home fans at Drummoyne Oval.
In other Round Six results, Easts handed Norths their first loss 24-14, Sydney Uni bounced back from last week to outclass Eastwood 36-26, Warringah smashed Penrith 49-17 and Randwick asserted themselves as Shute Shield favourites with an impressive 34-5 victory over Southern Districts.
Result
West Harbour 22
Tries: Pellegrini, Gadeisuva, Saufoi
Cons: Pellegrini 2
Pens: Pellegrini
Manly 19
Tries: Yool, Tye, Coffin
Cons: Attwater 2
Round 6 Results
Eastern Suburbs 24 v 14 Norths
Eastwood 26 v 36 Sydney Uni
Penrith 17 v 49 Warringah
Southern Districts 5 v 34 Randwick
West Harbour 22 v 19 Manly
Hunter Wildfires 7 v 50 Gordon
Bye: Two Blues
Declan Armstrong
Media and Communication Officer
