The West Sydney Pirates opened their 2026 campaign on Friday night at Bressington Park, Homebush, in the first ever NSW Men’s Flag competition. Each round is a doubleheader, and with only six players available, the Pirates played iron man football across both games. Fatigue became a real factor in the second halves. See our schedule.

Game 1: Pirates 18 lost to UTS 24

UTS look to be one of the top teams in the comp, and the Pirates came out firing. Two touchdowns from Tane King and one from Dean Toskoski gave the Pirates an 18-6 lead. UTS rallied in the second half to take a 24-18 lead. The Pirates put together a long drive into scoring position but were turned away on fourth down, going down 18-24.

Game 2: Pirates 24 def. Rebels 18

The Pirates again jumped out to an 18-6 lead early in the second half, thanks to two Manzil Stone touchdowns and another from Dean Toskoski. The Rebels fought back to 18-12, but a Josh Rickwood touchdown restored the buffer at 24-12. The Rebels scored late to make it 24-18, and a final long pass into the Pirates end zone was dropped, much to the relief of everyone in silver and black. First win of the season secured.

Familiar faces

Dean Toskoski and David Ward pulled on the Pirates jersey for the first time in 10 years, and it didn’t take long for the club’s all-time receiving leader and all-time passing leader to connect for a touchdown. Josh Rickwood and Max Goldberger have also returned to the club, both having played Colts Tackle for the Pirates around 2018 and 2019.

New uniforms

Our new flag uniforms made their debut and looked sharp under lights at Homebush.

Want to join?

We’re recruiting across all divisions for 2027. No experience needed. Register your interest at https://wspirates.com/join