After a winning road trip to Wagga in the morning, the Pirates returned to Albury Swim Centre and proved a little too resilient for the Tigers.

The Pirates started well. They scored the first two goals and defended well, limiting the Tigers’ opportunities.

Albury responded in the second quarter, scoring three straight to level the score at 4-4 before the Pirates’ defence kicked in and suffocating the Tigers for the rest of the game.

The scores levelled at 5-5 late in the final quarter when an extra-man shot from Pirates player Danny Nugent found the net and his team held on for the final 30 seconds.

Pool Pirates keeper Stephen Sloan was instrumental in the win, saving several shots that looked formalities, while Matt O’Connell and Danny Nugent were also keys.

Pirates captain O’Connell said it was a good effort from his team to back up its earlier win at Wagga.

“We were a bit tired for the Albury game but the whole team swam really hard and made it tough on them,” O’Connell said.

“It’s usually a pretty tough and physical game when we play each other so it’s always nice to come out with a win.

“We haven’t had the best form since the Christmas break so, hopefully, these two wins can get us back into the mix.”

Sharks couldn’t find the form that saw them defeat Albury at Wagga two rounds ago, falling to the Tigers 12-6 in an earlier game at Albury Swim Centre.

The Tigers started well against their rival and never relinquished the lead after the first quarter.

Tom Duck and Nick Dempsey were key to the win, setting up several goals and scoring three between them.

Brendan Dickie and Will Groth were solid all game for the Sharks with both finding the net twice.

In women’s A-grade, Pool Pirates matched the efforts of the men’s team with two wins — against Wagga, 11-2, and Albury, 14-4.

Northside defeated Wagga 16-1 with Leah West scoring five goals for the victors.