There was high drama minutes from full-time when Eastwood's Ben Batger missed a penalty from right in front which would have gifted them the win.

But seconds later, Jai Ayoub stepped up to kick a field goal from 40 metres out, much to the delight of Batger, who before that miskick had nailed four penalties from as many attempts.

After the full-time siren, Manly had their chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Short carries and sustained pressure was held out by Eastwood, which forced Manly to give the ball to Sam Lane.

His left-foot drop kick went to the right of the uprights – a cruel end to one of the closest Shute Shield finals in recent years.

Outgoing Eastwood captain Hugh Perrett, who finished his decorated club rugby career by lifting the Shield for the second time in as many years, said he would be soaking up the moment with his best mates.

"We wanted it more than them," Perrett said. "They wanted it a lot but we wanted it one per cent more.

"Sitting in the sheds there, you'll struggle to get me out of there. It's a really good time thinking back on your achievements as well as the game and the season. It's a great way to go out."

A grand-final is special for both teams, but there was a lot at stake for these teams who were also the two most deserving of a spot in the final.

Manly have not tasted premiership success since 1997 and that drought will continue despite claiming the minor premiership just a few weeks ago.

There would have been no better time for Manly to win a club rugby final, but Eastwood's knack of getting it done when it matters most proved the difference in front of a strong crowd.

Eastwood have won five titles in the last 18 years and featured in four of the last five Shute Shield grand finals. They're a seasoned side with no big names that thrive on knowing how to play on the the most important day of the year.

The last time Eastwood won back-to-back Shields was in 2002 and 2003.

Marlins captain and former Waratahs scrum half Matt Lucas was a broken man after the game. He said there were positives his team could take away from the season, despite the heartbreaking loss.

"It's an extremely tough pill to swallow," Lucas said. "It is what it is, someone has to win it and today it wasn't us."

"It [Eastwood's game plan] was exactly what we expected. It was brutal, and both teams just shut each other down for the whole game - there was no tries. We just didn't score enough points in the first half with the wind and that's that."

Manly kicked two penalty goals in the first ten minutes, the second of which from Lucas was nothing short of world-class.

With no breeze and the ball placed on the halfway line at an angle, Lucas's kick looked like it would fall well short, but somehow it got the legs to sneak over the black dot and create a healthy 6-0 buffer.

There were uncharacteristic ball handling errors from both sides in a sloppy opening period where neither side looked like crossing for a five-pointer.

Set pieces and excellent pick and drives from Manly saw them place considerable pressure on Eastwood, who could only manage to kick for touch and try to win line-outs in order to wrestle momentum back.

Both teams traded penalties in a second half where Manly had a large percentage of the ball, however, it was Eastwood's stoic defence and ability to keep cool at the end which ultimately got them over the line.