The Westport Club-sponsored outfit took the competition points from the Kempsey Cannonballs 17-0, however it was a match that was up for grabs right to the very end.

Unfortunately, the fixture was marred by dropped ball, misdirected passes and a general lack of cohesion among the Pirates.

Kempsey produced an aggressive style of play, which did not allow Port Macquarie to slip into gear.

To the Pirates’ credit, they stuck to their guns and relied heavily on last-ditch defensive lines that thwarted a number of Cannonballs’ scoring attempts.

The visitors started strongly but passes did not stick or failed to find their mark.

Despite that, Kempsey looked as though they were the first to score.

However, a dropped ball by the outside centre with an overlap and the line open ended the movement.

In the 19th minute, a Cannonballs mistake ended up on the toe of Tom Emes.

He followed this with a further well-weighted kick, which lobbed over the Kempsey defence, and he pounced on the ball for a 5-0 lead.

Again, the Pirates’ forwards provided a strong platform for the backline.

The side’s lineout also gave crisp clean ball to the backs.

Unfortunately, the backline could not capitalise on this possession.

The speed of Emes then saved a certain Kempsey try.

The break saw the Pirates boasting an unconvincing 5-0 lead.

The second half was dominated by scrappy play from both sides and numerous penalties.

It was not until the 35th minute that Macey broke out of the Kempsey defence and found Emes in support, who crossed adjacent to the posts.

With the conversion by Matt Mane, the Pirates were finally able to draw a sigh of relief with a 12-0 lead.

Right on full-time, Lucas Webb broke through the tiring Cannonballs’ defence and again found Emes.

The unconverted try gave the Pirates a scrappy 17-0 victory.

The outstanding game by Emes, in both attack and defence, earned the talented Englishman the players’ player award.

He was well-supported by Chad Joseph and Andrew Lawrence.