Penrith win first Shute Shield game of the season with win over Northern Suburbs

PENRITH claimed their first victory of the Shute Shield season in a stellar weekend of results for the west.

Rugby Union Shute Shield between Penrith Emus and Manly at Penrith.Jerome McKenzie

PENRITH claimed their first victory of the Shute Shield season in a stellar weekend for the west.

Parramatta, West Harbour and Eastwood also claimed victories in round 11, while Manly skipped 11 points clear at the top of the table following a 60-12 demolition of Randwick.

Penrith has moved off the bottom of the table for the first time in 12 months after their inspired 35-26 upset win over Northern Suburbs.

Centre Jerome McKenzie was outstanding for the Emus, scoring a hat-trick while wingers Peni Narube and Malakai Zelezniak also crossed at Nepean Rugby Park.

Norths, who had Waratahs star Cam Crawford in their line-up, could not contain Penrith’s fervent momentum.

Crawford did manage to score a try, along with teammates Mitch Walton, Jack Grant and Kevin McNamara, but it was not enough to prevent a famous win.

Penrith will be part of the Greater Sydney Rams franchise to play in the inaugural National Rugby Championship from August, and four of the five Rams feeder sides enjoyed wins last weekend.

While Southern Districts lost 30-18 to fourth-placed Sydney University, their fellow Rams teams were in brilliant form.

Parramatta smashed Eastern Suburbs 53-20 to consolidate fifth spot on the ladder, with Alex Samoa and Nick Blacklock grabbing doubles, while new Waratahs recruit Taqele Naiyaravaro kept up his impressive strike rate with a try, giving him six from three games.

Eastwood rolled second-placed Warringah 41-24 to keep up pressure from third spot.

A rampant first half at TG Millner Field essentially sealed the result, and Eastwood’s five-eighth Jai Ayoub was at the heart of much of their attacking success.

“I’m very pleased with the bonus-point win, especially over one of the top sides in Warringah,” Ayoub said.

“I am happy where we are as a team, and very happy I can keep putting in consistent performances too – it’s easy to look good though when you have the amount of talented guys around you that I do.”

A 29-0 drubbing to West Harbour saw Gordon sink to last place on the ladder.

Manly continued their charge towards the minor premiership and a possible undefeated season with their 11th victory in a row over a hapless Randwick.

Harry Bergelin scored a hat-trick while Dave Porecki, Dylan Sigg, Mark Swanepoel, Dane Chisholm, Brian Sefania, Lui Siale and BJ Hartmann all got across the tryline to humiliate the Galloping Greens at Coogee Oval.

Originally published as Penrith win first Shute Shield game of the season with win over Northern Suburbs