For the second Saturday in a row a Wanganui Premier team had their remote top four aspirations consigned to the scrap heap and once again it was Pirates on clean up duty.
An undermanned Marton rued the loss of three frontrowers to injury and illness and when their key playmaker Taukiri Manawatu withdrew on the morning of the game because of family commitments, the writing was on the wall.
Pirates left their signature all over that wall as they thumbed their noses at the muddy conditions at Spriggens Park to spread the ball from sideline to sideline, scoring seven tries in a 43-7 drubbing.
Grabbing back-to-back tries beside the posts in the opening minutes of the second half threatened a blow out at 38-0, but Pirates notably relaxed while making plenty of positional changes to cruise the match out in a lacklustre final quarter.
Before that, they did show some great handling and short balls in the wet, with captain Lasa Ulukuta leading from the front while prop Brett Turner had a hand in everything, showcasing all the skills from pop passes to kick and chase.
Pirates forwards pushed the makeshift Marton pack off much of their own ball and allowed them no base to build territory, with the match having to resort to Golden Oldies scrums midway through the second stanza.
After all the trials and tribulations of Round One, Pirates' Phillip Morris wore the comfortable expression of a coach who knows his team is now up and rolling.
"We found the on-switch against Taihape and realised we can put some phases together.
"We did the damage in the first half."
He was pleased the veterans such as Turner were "showing up" in big games, although the side's intensity dropping away in the second half was a disappointment.
Cornel Mason was able to make an up-close-and-personal assessment of the game as Manawatu's absence saw him take over at halfback while Tyler Rogers-Holden did his best to run the cutter at No10.
"[Manawatu] was a bit of a miss. But in saying that, Pirates were here they wanted that game," said Mason.
"They're on a roll right now. The forwards were hard."
Pirates wingers Enseu Seloti and Clive Stowers may have swapped jerseys but that didn't keep either of them out of the action - Stowers bursting clear to open up a chance and then Seloti polishing it off in the other corner after Pirates spread it three minutes in.
They kept Marton fullback Moli Sagapolutele under pressure all game with chips and grubbers.
Pirates had all the ball but were not always able to keep it in slippery hands.
However, by the 16th minute they were in again as Turner went himself out wide.
Riding their pack's domination, flanker Sanele Ah Chookoon dived over from a 5m scrum, then Ulukuta followed a Turner drive to get over the line near halftime.
A cricket score loomed as centre Samu Etuati waltzed across unopposed two minutes after the resumption, then second-five Lee Ashford scooted in off a pass from first-five Denning Tyrell.
However, Ashford was sinbinned and as Pirates made changes they were not as capable of turning pressure into points.
Eventually, reserve Nuku Nukuciri finished off a great chip and re-gather by Ulukuta.
Marton grabbed a consolation seven pointer with three minutes left through centre Lote Tauailoto.