By Angus Hayman

Finals rugby delivered exactly what it promised, with three games producing three very different stories.

Randwick flexed their premiership credentials with a thumping 62-19 win over Manly, while Gordon continued their late-season surge by knocking over Warringah 39-24.

The biggest drama came at Woollahra Oval, where Easts and Sydney Uni drew 29-all. With Gordon’s win putting pressure on the Beasties, the draw was enough for Easts to sneak through to the semi-finals on ladder position.

Gordon now face Easts this weekend, while minor premiers Randwick prepare for the Rats, with finals rugby officially underway.

Randwick 62 – 19 Manly

Randwick wasted little time ending Manly’s season, producing a dominant 62-19 victory to underline why they finished as minor premiers.

The Galloping Greens struck inside four minutes when slick build-up created space for winger Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer, who finished in the corner. A rolling maul soon doubled the lead before Manly hit back through a Ryan Jones cross-field kick, allowing Lewis Kingdom to score.

Randwick regained control. A turnover created the opportunity they thrive on, with offloads and a kick eventually putting hooker Tyler Maybery over before Roberts-Lintmeijer grabbed his second.

Charlie Bird then took over, scoring twice through support play and a slick show-and-go. By half-time, Bird had 20 points himself and Randwick had opened up a 40-12 lead.

Manly started the second half with a glimmer of hope when their No.8 burrowed over from the back of a scrum, but Randwick shut the door. Bird’s high ball was won in the air before Hugo Kulcsar was released to score.

The home side then emptied the bench, with reserve front-rowers Nikolaj Knevitt and Rico Ross adding tries before a penalty goal rounded out a comprehensive win.

Brutal contact, relentless offloads and the willingness to attack from anywhere made Randwick look every bit the premiership contender.

Warringah 24 – 39 Gordon

Gordon arrived at Warringah as one of the competition’s hottest sides and left with a 39-24 win that may look like an upset on paper, but won’t surprise regular Highlanders watchers.

Warringah started sharply, capitalising on a sluggish opening from Gordon to race to a 12-0 lead. Archie Isherwood crossed first before a rolling maul allowed Charlie Blank to score.

Gordon eventually found their rhythm through their trademark run-and-gun attack. In the red zone, they showed composure, slowing things down and letting their forwards do the damage. Pick-and-go tries from James Griffith and Kobi Mendel turned the game around.

Warringah levelled at 19-all after Gordon front-rower Justin Amituanai was sent to the sin bin for pulling down a rolling maul, resulting in a penalty try.

Gordon regained the lead through a penalty goal before Warringah winger Tallis McEwen-Welsh was yellow-carded.

The visitors found space on the edge, with Mitchell Holmes producing a sharp flick pass to put Alexander Ward over. Gordon then survived another scare when Max Jordan deliberately knocked down a pass and was sent to the sin bin.

Mendel powered through for his second before Tyler Birnie added another penalty goal.

Their speed was dangerous, but composure from Liam Walsh and Birnie ultimately separated the sides.

Easts 29 – 29 Sydney Uni

Easts and Sydney Uni played out their second consecutive 29-all draw, but with Gordon beating Warringah, the result sent the Beasties into the semi-finals on ladder position.

The students would be furious with their start as in a blink of an eye Easts raced to a 12-0 lead, through short-range tries to Angus Newman and Jack Lawrence. Easts capitalised on a later yellow card with a dominant rolling-maul try.

Campbell Tagaloasa made amends after returning from his naughty chair stint, powering over from a penalty tap, before Uni found some attacking rhythm. Slick hands and an out-the-back pass put Tom Hartman over to make it a 17-12 deficit at half-time.

Uni extended their lead when Liam Hill sliced through from a beautifully timed Tom Goldie pass, but Uni prop Carter Tagaloasa’s yellow card swung momentum back to Easts.

Toby Brial muscled over for the home side before Uni responded through a Henry Connick penalty goal, before it swung back to the home side as Rory O’Connor produced a brilliant solo try down the short side to make it 29-22.

Easts were then reduced to 14 men after O’Connor was eventually sent to the sin bin following a string of defensive infringements.

The Beasties produced a remarkable series of try-saving efforts, including efforts from Louis Fenwicke, Flynn Clatworthy and Angus Tremain, before Hill finally crashed over to level the scores.

Connick converted to make it 29-all, and the final minutes were frantic. Monty Schmude produced a huge try-saving tackle before Easts forced a turnover and kicked the ball into touch.

The draw ended the season with the two sides unable to separate themselves across 160 minutes of rugby. More importantly for Easts, it secured a semi-final berth, setting up another huge finals weekend.