The Manly Leagues Sydney Shield team are one win away from history as they take on Wentworthville United in the Grand Final at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.
Match: Magpies v Manly Leagues
Grand Final -
home Team
Magpies
away Team
Manly Leagues
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The Sydney Shield is the NSWRL’s fourth tier men’s competition, feeding into the Ron Massey Cup for both emerging and senior players.
In its second season in the competition, Manly is coached by Frank McKee and is supported by Manly Leagues, Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club, Manly Warringah Junior Rugby League, and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.
After a long season, the two best sides meet in the grand final. The Magpies topped the ladder with 33 points (12 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses), followed closely by the boys in maroon and white with 28 points (10 wins and 6 losses).
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The two sides have faced off twice this season, with both coming away victors in tight affairs. Manly won the round 10 clash with a 34-24 scoreline at 4 Pines Park. In the return fixture, Wentworthville claimed a 22-10 win.
Who To Keep an Eye On
Manly's side showed that anyone on the team list can score with 24 different tryscorers throughout the 2025 season, five less then their total for 2024 (29 different tryscorers).
Two of the leading attackers in the starting line-up for Saturday's match are Lachlan Burt and Braith Alexander.
Alexander, son of Penrith great Greg, has steered the side this season in the halfback position crossing for eight tries.
Burt is a prolific tryscorer who has been in the side for both seasons. The winger scored eight tries this season, adding to his tally of 18 last season. Burt is also a handy goal kicker, amassing a total of 350 points in two years.
Team Lists
Match: Magpies v Manly Leagues
Grand Final -
home Team
Magpies
away Team
Manly Leagues
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Magpies is number 1 Liam DavidsonFullback for Manly Leagues is number 1 Max Lehmann
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Winger for Magpies is number 2 Elias Abou-MradWinger for Manly Leagues is number 2 Lachlan Burt
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Centre for Magpies is number 3 Emosi AlamotiCentre for Manly Leagues is number 3 Benjamin Keene-O'Keefe
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Centre for Magpies is number 4 Jabriel KalacheCentre for Manly Leagues is number 4 Justin Burt
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Winger for Magpies is number 5 Dermot McKeever-KingWinger for Manly Leagues is number 5 Max Davies
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Five-Eighth for Magpies is number 6 Zachary HunterFive-Eighth for Manly Leagues is number 6 Witika Rees-Hatu
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Halfback for Magpies is number 7 Darcy BrettleHalfback for Manly Leagues is number 7 Braith Alexander
Forwards
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Prop for Magpies is number 8 Will EpereProp for Manly Leagues is number 8 Nicholas Bilsborough
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Hooker for Magpies is number 9 Ayden CarlingHooker for Manly Leagues is number 9 Jermayne Cook
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Prop for Magpies is number 10 Atoa MarkisProp for Manly Leagues is number 10 Samson Mairi
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2nd Row for Magpies is number 11 Michael Geddes2nd Row for Manly Leagues is number 11 Khan Symonds-Magee
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2nd Row for Magpies is number 12 Benjamin Dooley2nd Row for Manly Leagues is number 12 Lachoneus Paki
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Lock for Magpies is number 13 Denzal ToniseLock for Manly Leagues is number 13 Heath Turner
Interchange
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Interchange for Magpies is number 14 Robbie GrahamInterchange for Manly Leagues is number 15 Beau McKee
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Interchange for Magpies is number 18 Daniel ReadonInterchange for Manly Leagues is number 17 Lachlan Armstrong
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Interchange for Magpies is number 20 Oliver ScottInterchange for Manly Leagues is number 20 Tamoko Berryman-Duff
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Interchange for Magpies is number 22 Kye SimsicInterchange for Manly Leagues is number 21 Beniel Qereqeretabua
Reserves
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Replacement for Magpies is number 21 Joshua HeyReplacement for Manly Leagues is number 14 Wiremu Tibbutt
Last updated:
Road to the Final
In the 2nd vs 3rd match-up in Week One, Manly fell to the Saints 44-10. In Week Two, Manly faced Mounties. In their two matches this season, they scraped a 30-28 victory but came up short the second time round with a 48-22 defeat. But in the Finals it's a different story.
Manly Leagues walked away with a dominant 52-18 victory to confirm their rematch with Saints to seal a spot in the final.
No mistakes were made this time, defeating the St. Mary's Saints 30-18 in what was a match that went right down the wire.
Season Comparison
Manly won two more matches in 2025 compared to the 2024 season, winning 10 games (12 including finals matches) compared to 8.
The side rose five places on the ladder, moving from seventh place with 20 points last season to second place with 28 points this year.
Their biggest win this year was 52-6 (46-points) over the Rams in Round seven compared to a 38-6 win (32-points) over Cabramatta last year in Round 17.
How to Watch
Tickets are available at the gate for as little as $10, while pensioners and children aged 12 and under are free.
The match will be available to stream on BarTV Sports online (subscription required).
