Round 13 saw Manly claim a crucial one-point win over Easts, Eastwood finally broke through for their first victory of the season, while Randwick, Warringah, Norths and Gordon continued their strong runs with convincing wins. 

Manly have strengthened their grip on the top six, Norths remain just in touching distance, while Hunter now face a huge challenge to make up ground. Gordon, meanwhile, are surging at exactly the right time and look increasingly like a team nobody will want to meet in September.

Manly 29 – 28 Easts 

Manly edged Easts 29-28 in a thrilling wet-weather contest under lights, with a late penalty goal denying the visitors a comeback win.

Easts struck first through a rolling maul from close range, but Manly’s forwards soon began to take control. Prop Felix Harvison spotted an opportunity over the top of the ruck and powered through for a cheeky 20-metre try before hooker Angus Hay finished off a brutal 20m rolling maul.

Easts were later held up over the line as Manly took a 12-5 lead into the break.

The visitors levelled the contest early in the second half, with flanker Cameron Stuckey finishing a breakaway try after a clever offload to make it 12-all.

Manly responded through their dangerous backline combination, with Ryan Jones and Xavier Stewart each crossing to restore a 26-14 advantage. Manly’s defence repeatedly forced turnovers at ruck time, denying Easts any rhythm in attack.

A yellow card then opened the door for the visitors. No.8 Angus Newman burrowed over before replacement prop Elliot Rainford did exactly the same, with flyhalf Will Johnson converting both to put Easts in the lead.

Just when Easts appeared set to steal the win, Manly’s forward pack worked its way into the attacking 22 and earned a crucial penalty. Jones stepped up from a difficult angle around 22 metres out and calmly slotted the match-winning goal.

The 29-28 victory gave Manly a huge boost in the race for the top six, while Easts suffered their second consecutive defeat in the dying stages of a match.

Eastwood 57 – 15 Two Blues

Eastwood finally broke through for their first win of the season, producing a dominant 57-15 victory over Two Blues in a one-sided contest.

The visitors wasted little time making their mark, with second rower Gary Roberts bursting through the lineout and powering through contact to score the opening try.

What followed was a first-half ambush. Thomas Halmarick sliced through the defence from 20 metres out before winger Archie Thomas scored from a goal-line dropout return.

Second rower Isaac Ridge then produced one of the tries of the day, brushing aside the final defender with a powerful carry down the edge, before centre Jordan Hood doubled the pain as he finished off a set-piece move in the corner.

Eastwood took a commanding 31-0 lead into halftime, finally showing the confidence and control that had been missing throughout their difficult season.

Their kicking and game management were far sharper, while the forwards consistently provided front-foot ball.

Two Blues responded early in the second half, but Eastwood quickly regained control. Hood completed his hat-trick before prop Jonathan Pennington also crossed the line.

Halmarick was among the standouts alongside flanker Luke Toia and Ridge, who produced his best performance of the season.

The result was a long-awaited breakthrough for Eastwood, who ran out a 57-15 bonus-point win

Hunter Wildfires 24 – 36 Randwick

Randwick survived a spirited Hunter challenge in torrential conditions, running out 36-24 winners to maintain their position at the top of the Colts ladder.

The opening 15 minutes were a defensive arm wrestle, with both sides creating opportunities before turnovers at the breakdown repeatedly halted promising attacks.

Randwick eventually found their rhythm and struck three times in quick succession. Halfback Laurence Kiely opened the scoring with a clever show-and-go close to the line before try-scoring machine Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer crossed twice, using his blistering pace to punish Hunter out wide.

The Wildfires finally responded through a charge-down try to centre Peni Naqau, but Randwick delivered another blow just before halftime. Clean hands and strong support play allowed Kiely to collect his second try and give the visitors a commanding 24-5 lead at the break.

Hunter needed a response after halftime and turned to their rolling maul, producing a hard-fought try to reduce the deficit to 14.

A brilliant offload then put Paddy Cant into space, with the Hunter forward sprinting onto the ball and crossing to make it a seven-point game.

But Randwick’s pressure on the Wildfires’ lineout proved decisive, denying the home side consistent possession. Centre Riley Evans crossed from close range before a brilliant high-ball kick-and-chase from fullback Marlon Frost handed Roberts-Lintmeijer his hat-trick.

Hunter winger Noah Hill scored a late try from a bold chip kick, but it wasn’t enough.

The Wildfires again showed they can compete with the competition’s best, but another defeat to a top-six side leaves them with a significant mountain to climb with four rounds remaining.

Souths 26 – 69 Warringah

Warringah continued their attacking surge at exactly the right time of the season, overwhelming Souths in a dominant bonus-point victory.

The Rats opened the scoring with a simple overlap that sent winger Will Hargreaves over in the corner before fullback Harrison Dene turned defence into attack, launching an incredible 80-metre counterattack that ended with hooker Riley Osborn crossing.

Second rower Joel Couper then powered through with sharp footwork and brute strength to complete a third unanswered try, with Dene converting all three before adding a penalty goal to make it 24-0.

Souths finally responded through centre James Verbickas, who finished a brilliant attack involving a line break and a series of offloads to score under the posts.

Warringah answered before halftime to take a 31-7 lead into the break.

Souths emerged with renewed intent and scored the first two tries of the second half. Soft hands out wide created the first before Spike Street crossed from close range after Warringah were reduced to 14 men following a cynical infringement near their own line.

Suddenly 31-19, the contest appeared to be alive.

Warringah quickly put an end to those hopes.

The Rats unleashed another wave of attacking rugby, running in four unanswered tries through a mixture of rolling mauls, broken-play counterattacks and relentless phase play.

The lead eventually stretched to 55-19 before Souths responded with a series of pick-and-go carries, hooker Jeanpaul Sia eventually burrowing over.

Warringah had the final say, closing out a comprehensive 69-26 bonus-point victory as their attack continued to hit its stride at the business end of the season.

Norths 45 – 26 Wests

Norths kept their finals hopes alive with a convincing bonus-point victory over Wests.

The home side started quickly, with Alfie Coulthart powering over from a pick-and-go before centre Xavier Cooper-Hisa capitalised on a sloppy Wests exit to score.

Wests finally found some momentum through their forwards, with prop Cameron Van Der Goot wrestling his way over after sustained territory pressure to reduce the margin to 14-7.

The visitors were proving competitive at scrum time, but their discipline ultimately opened the door for Norths. A yellow card for repeated infringements left Wests short-handed, and Norths immediately capitalised.

A rolling maul produced the next try before halfback Patrick Thomson burst through from a quick run and offload, racing 30 metres to score and give Norths a commanding 28-7 halftime lead.

Norths remained clinical after the break, controlling territory and eventually putting the result beyond doubt. Fullback James Bristow crossed in the corner before winger Parish Hunt scored down the same edge moments later.

At 38-7, the contest appeared over.

Wests refused to surrender, however, producing three further tries through their trademark free-flowing style. No.8 Stanleigh Stone provided one of the highlights with a brilliant stepping run before a late flick pass created another try.

It was not enough to deny Norths, who secured a 45-26 bonus-point victory.

The result keeps their finals hopes alive, with Patrick Thomson, Flynn Hyndman, Coulthart and Fred Garling among the players continuing to drive their late-season push.

Gordon 33 – 10 Sydney Uni

Gordon continued their remarkable late-season surge with a statement 33-10 bonus-point victory over Sydney Uni in front of a big crowd at Chatswood Oval.

The home side immediately established dominance at set-piece, winning a scrum penalty before turning to their rolling maul. The pressure eventually created an opening for Seb Gyngell to burrow over from close range.

The score remained 7-0 for much of the opening half as Gordon controlled territory and repeatedly forced Uni to defend. Tyler Birnie’s kicking game was particularly effective, helping Gordon dictate where the contest was played.

Uni produced a superb defensive moment just before halftime when Justin Amituanai looked certain to score from close range, only for Daniel Christodoulou to produce a brilliant one-on-one tackle and hold the ball up over the line.

Gordon took a 7-0 lead into the break, but Uni’s discipline continued to hurt them after halftime.

Repeated penalties kept the visitors pinned inside their own territory, allowing Gordon to build pressure before another successful maul extended the lead.

The home side then produced one of the game’s best moments, with James Archer slicing through on a kick return and racing under the posts.

Archer was soon sent to the sin bin for a cynical infringement, giving Uni an opportunity to respond. Centre Ethan Black took it, powering over from a pick-and-go.

Gordon immediately hit back through halfback Liam Walsh, restoring their control and extending the lead to 26-5 with 18 minutes remaining.

Black crossed again late for Uni, but Gordon had the final say. Centre Will Farrah powered over from close range to complete a convincing 33-10 victory.

The result further strengthens Gordon’s growing reputation as one of the competition’s form sides, with their late-season surge coming at exactly the right time as the finals race begins to take shape.