By Jon Geddes

A 16-man Warringah side beat West Harbour 29-24 after an emotion-charged finish to their Shute Shield thriller at Rat Park on Saturday.

The Warringah team took the field carrying the spirit of their late clubmate Lachie Ward, who tragically passed away while playing in a fifth match against Gordon on June 10 2017, aged just 24.

The afternoon was a celebration of Lachie’s life and he was at the forefront in the minds of the team, which fittingly included his brother and Rats’ legend “Slammin’ Sam”  - back in the starting side for the first time since coming out of retirement.