Pirates outclassed by Mentone despite gritty second-half fightback.

Despite skipper George Fletcher winning the toss and electing to kick with the strong breeze, it was the hosts who adapted quicker to the poor conditions, catching the Pirates off guard from the opening bounce and piling on four unanswered goals within the first ten minutes of play.

The Pirtates eventually settled into the contest late in the term. Nelson Forrest provided a much-needed response to break the shackles, aided by major from Hugh Peacock in the dying stages which kept the Pirates within striking distance at the first change.

The second quarter began in a similar fashion, with Mentone finding easy space and slicing through the ground with clean transition footy with the wind on their backs.

Led by industrious displays from Kurt Thiele and Craig Sanders around the footy, the boys began to dictate terms at the stoppages. The increased pressure effectively suffocated Mentone's ball movement and allowed the backline to reset.

Ben Watson capitalised on the eve of halftime as the boys neaded into the rooms trailing 64 to 30.

The sky began to open up in the third, locking the ball into a heavy, contested slog. The boys showed glimpses of pegging back the five-to-six-goal deficit that remained all game, led from the front by Disco and Bails. The Pirates won the clearance battle during dominant patches of play, but a lack of composure in front of the big sticks and when delivering inside 50 saw many opportunities go begging.

Up forward, Ben Watson starred under difficult conditions, turning a tough afternoon for forwards into a sharp three-goal outing. At the opposite end of the ground, Pete Evans-Brumby celebrated his milestone match with a quality display of intercept work, cutting off Mentone’s chains and stabilising the ship against the tide.

Ultimately, the narrative came down to efficiency, as Mentone found a way to hurt the boys on the counter-attack by converting difficult chances when it mattered.

Around the grounds both the Ressies and Unders fought hard but couldn’t get the job done.

A huge week of Pirates footy to come next week as the Ressies and Seniors look for redemption against Parkdale back on the home deck.