The home side announced themselves early on, crossing through Charlie French who found himself in an unfamiliar position, diving over for a try alongside the corner post.

The home side went back-to-back, extending its lead to 10-0 after Mahe Fangupo threw the world's biggest dummy from the base of the ruck before diving over untouched. Daniel Sweeney turned five into seven, giving Forbes a 12-0 lead.

The premiers finally broke through in the 19^th minute as Angus Roberts sliced through Forbes' goal-line defence before converting his own try out wide.

Emus went back-to-back 20 minutes later as a Jake Ritchie break gave Jamil Khalfan the momentum to scoop the ball up and fall over the line.

Gus Robert slotted the kick from out wide, giving the visitors a 14-12 lead before half-time.

When the sides returned from oranges, it was Forbes that looked the better as some acrobatics from Steve Dinham allowed Platypi to retake the lead.

Daniel Sweeney converted the try before adding a penalty goal to his side's tally not long after, making the scores 22-14 with 30 minutes left.

A barnstorming effort from Miniti Tonga gave Forbes a startling 27-14 lead before Sweeney missed the kick from out wide.

Emus had it all to do from that point on, but you felt like if they got their share of field position, the points would somehow come.

And come they did. Boom rookie Jake Ritchie bagged a try alongside the sideline, but Roberts crucially missed the kick, leaving the margin at 27-19 with 14 minutes left.

Oscar Hunt put the finishing touches on a break by Emus, scoring a try and bringing the scores to 27-24 after an unsuccessful conversion.

Home fans had next to no fingernails left as the defending champions threw everything at Forbes, but when the home side received a penalty on the stroke of full time, Sweeney drilled it 30 metres out as time expired.

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