TWO goals to Barbarian's makeshift striker Grant Howard helped Barbs edge past a spirited Royals outfit 3-2 on Brent Livermore Field on Sunday afternoon.

After landing an early blow with the first goal of the match, Royals set themselves up to give some cheek in the match despite their underdog tag.

But a goal late in the first half and two early goals in the second half saw the favoured Barbarians overpower their rivals, who fought on right until the last minutes of the match to score again.

"Grant normally plays as a half, but we had to move him to the forwards due to an injury," Barbarians spokesman Josh Wainwright said.

"He made the most of his chance to play up front and his two goals will ensure he avoids a 'nudie run' at the end of the season."

Barbarians striker Troy Urquhart, a regular on the scorecard, nailed the other goal for his team.

"Troy is a freak; he has a great knack for scoring goals and is one of our main strike weapons for sure."

The other A-grade match of the round saw Bears comfortably account for Sailors 6-2.

Kyle Hancock scored both goals for the losing side, but his efforts were no match for the Bears who ran rampant at the end of the match to chalk up an impressive final scoreline.

Mark Pollack (2), Nathan Butterick, Jacob Purser and Hugh Cameron all graced the scorecard, with Cameron netting his first goal in the top grade.

Sailors must line up against the in-form Barbarians next week, but Wainwright said his side won't be taking a win for granted.

"We managed to beat Sailors the first time we played them, but they were missing a key player in Scott Smith on that occasion,'' Wainwright said.

"They are a dangerous team and we won't be taking anything for granted against any side this year."

Men's B-grade was in full swing on Sunday, and C-grade will return to the field this weekend after their matches were cancelled to accommodate the NSW Masters over-50s carnival.

The Chairman of the Hockey NSW Men's masters committee, Grafton's And

rew Terry, said: "The carnival was really successful weekend and we were very happy to have 24 teams competing."