Tarsha Gale Cup replay: Roosters Indigenous Academy defeat St George Dragons (NSWRL Junior Reps )
The Roosters Indigenous Academy capped off the Tarsha Gale Cup regular season in style, thumping the Dragons 36 to 14. WATCH THE REPLAY
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The Roosters Indigenous Academy capped off the Tarsha Gale Cup regular season in style, thumping the Dragons, the side who beat them in last year’s grand final, 36 to 14 at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Easts hooker Ally Bullman directed the visitors around in the first half as forwards Otesa Pule and Kalosipani Hopoate charged over to score in the opening 10 minutes.
The Chooks no.9 bagged her own try in the 16th minute with a cracking individual effort, before St George winger Angel Mikaere ran onto a chip kick to fly over in the left corner.
Back rower Pule scored her second try of the afternoon just before halftime with a barnstorming run down the left touchline to put the Roosters 22 to 4 up at the break.
The Dragons were the first to strike in the second period with fullback Cassey Tohi-Hiku going over in the 38th minute and soon after teammate Tyla Amiatu scored to have the hosts back in the contest.
The Roosters rode out the storm, however, scoring three more tries through Jada Taylor, Indee Brown and hattrick hero Pule to finish 22-point winners.
The Tricolours had already sewn up the minor premiership prior to the final, but coach Blake Cavallaro said the two-points against the fifth-placed Dragons was a good warm up for the finals.
“It sets us up for the finals,” he said.
“We were looking forward to playing this type of game. Now we have a week off to refocus and regroup, but we’re looking forward to perhaps playing them again in the finals.
“The girls have been really great [this season] so for us to be undefeated minor premiers, it’s a credit to the girls and what they’ve done.”
The Roosters Indigenous Academy will go straight through to the second week of the finals, while the Dragons will play the Knights in the elimination final.
Tarsha Gale clash will prove the next generation of women’s rugby league stars are ready to go
On the eve of the Sunday’s NRLW premiership decider, a Tarsha Gale Cup clash will prove the pathway to the top in women’s rugby league has never been clearer.
Not only are the Dragons and Roosters set to battle it out in a historic NRLW decider this weekend, but the two pioneering clubs of female footy will have their little sisters meet on Saturday, showcasing the junior competition is busy producing ready made professional rugby league players.
The Tarsha Gale 2021 grand final rematch will prove the next generation of women’s rugby league stars are ready to go when the top of the table Roosters and reigning premiers Dragons meet for a game that will be live streamed exclusively on The Daily Telegraph website, kicking off at 12.30pm on Saturday.
The Roosters NRLW try scoring hero Keilee Joseph is one of a number of Tarsha Gale graduates who will feature in this weekend’s NRLW Grand Final, proving the pathway to play on the big stage is far from a pipe dream.
For two years, Joseph travelled from Queensland each week to captain the Roosters Indigenous Academy Tarsha Gale Cup team and when the 20-year-old rookie forward carried defenders over the line on Sunday to score a crucial try against Brisbane on Sunday’s semi-final, the young prop set dreams alight for the up-and-comings of the NRLW.
Two-time Roosters premiership halfback Cooper Cronk said the exposure and talent witnessed in the women’s game this year has given young girls the possibility to dream of a future in rugby league.
“The women’s game for me is a real opportunity to provide role models and inspire the Tarsha Gale girls and even young junior girls as well,” Cronk told The Daily Telegraph.
“The more we can have our elite women being exposed in a Roosters jersey, it actually gets the 12 and 13 year old girls watching on the TV at home thinking ‘can I do that?’
“So then they look at the local leagues and Tarsha Gale Cup to see that there is pathways and systems in place to pursue that.”
With Roosters centres Isabelle Kelly and Jessica Sergis to come up against the in-form fullback Emma Tonegato, skipper Kezie Apps and rookie halfback Rachael Pearson – the future stars of the NRLW don’t have to look far for inspiration.
“As long as we’ve got these systems in place, eventually that little girl watching on a Friday or a Sunday afternoon, might just represent their team,” Cronk said.
“So don’t ever underestimate the influence our NRLW has because the more we can expose our elite women, the better chance we’ve got to capture and engage the younger girls that dream to be them.”
The Tarsha Gale Cup final round clash will be packed with its own exciting match-ups including between star halfbacks Dragons’ Rayven-Jodeci Boyce and Roosters skipper Tayla Montgomery.
Originally published as Tarsha Gale Cup replay: Roosters Indigenous Academy defeat St George Dragons (NSWRL Junior Reps )
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