MANLY hadn't won a Senior League (under-16s) NSW baseball title in 21 years and the drought didn't look like coming to an end as they sunk to a second straight defeat at this year's state championships. Coach PJ Patterson was downcast and kicking stones as he came to grips with seeing another campaign go down the gurgler until his wife Michelle, a maths teacher at Davidson High, pulled him aside. She'd crunched the numbers and looked at the history of the tournament, working out Manly could still make the final if it didn't drop another game.
So you're telling me there's a chance?
One by one, Manly went about ticking them off.
First on the list was Ryde Black, beaten 9-6 by the suddenly rejuvenated Eagles but still a potentially a thorn in our boys' side. If Ryde Black beat Cronulla in their next match, Manly's final pool game against Macarthur would be a dead rubber. With Manly players, coaching staff and parents glued to the game via livestream, Cronulla did what was required and saw off Ryde Black.
The next day the Eagles were two runs behind and on the ropes before rallying to beat Macarthur 5-4 and advancing to the semis. Now they were daring to dream.
The Eagles overcame top seed Hills Red 15-7, securing a finals berth and a spot in the national championships in Geelong. There was no stopping them now.
The decider was pretty much all one-way traffic, Manly seeing off Cronulla 9-4 to lock down the association's first senior league crown since 2001.
They went close to making it a double at the nationals, winning the bronze medal play-off match to come away with the Eagles' best result at this level. They fell just two wins short of representing Australia at the Little League World Series in the US.
"The key to the team's success was to stay positive in the face of adversity," Patterson said.
"I am so proud of their achievement. This particular group of boys have incredible talent and chemistry."
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