A dogged Eastwood confirmed their return to form last weekend, while putting another dent in the title defence of reigning Premiers Northern Suburbs, with a hard-fought 21-20 win on the bell at North Sydney Oval.

West Harbour continued their upturn in form last weekend with a thrilling 40-38 victory over Sydney University at Concord Oval. A tight first half that ended 19-all was blown apart after the restart, with the Pirates taking advantage of some lacklustre footy from the Students to build a dominant 40-19 lead on the hour. But they had to hang tough in the final quarter to withstand Uni’s late rally, and ensure a win over his former charges for coach Todd Louden.

“At 14-0 up I thought Norths might blink, but that would be about as much as would happen, and they quickly got the momentum back in the game and they’re brilliant at doing that.