NSWRL Junior Reps round eight: Top 20 performers and key talking points
It’s almost finals time in the NSWRL Junior Reps as sides battle for spots in the postseason. We take a look back at 20 top performers from round eight and highlight the major talking points.
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It’s almost finals time in the NSWRL Junior Reps as plenty of sides state their case for the big postseason games.
Once again there were a host of strong individual efforts on the weekend. Here are the 20 top performers from round eight of the Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cup competitions.
LISA FIAOLA CUP
FONTAYNE TUFUGA (PARRAMATTA)
Parramatta blitzed North Sydney with a host of strong performers. But it was Fontayne Tufuga who stood out for us.
A weapon through the middle, the agile prop constantly had the Bears on the back foot and paved the way for a hungry backline.
Showed class on the left edge too, and held up a nice ball to spark Parra’s second try.
ELLIE BARNETT (WESTS TIGERS)
Wests Tigers put the cleaners through Souths, and there was none better than halfback Ellie Barnett.
The skipper had a field day tormenting the right edge defence, playing a part in five of six tries down that side of the field.
You name it, from cut-out passes to cross-field kicks, the elusive No.7 finished with a wide variety of assists.
RUBY WILHELMUS (NEWCASTLE)
There’s no shortage of wrecking balls in the junior reps, and in round eight at Cessnock none was more influential than Ruby Wilhelmus.
With Newcastle’s must win clash hanging in the balance as halftime approached, the rampaging No.16 cast aside numerous Sharks defenders to score from long range.
She was at it again after the break, crashing over for another to ignite Newcastle’s finals charge.
TAHLIA O’BRIEN (ILLAWARRA)
One of the more athletic back-rowers in the Fiaola Cup, O’Brien showed it all in an electric opening at St Mary’s.
In the seventh minute, she quickly hit top gear and gapped the Penrith chasers, striding away to score from 60m.
The tall No.11 was at it again three minutes later, stepping off her left foot to cross for Illawarra’s third.
BREANNA BIGENI (CENTRAL COAST)
The next time Breanna Bigeni packs her game day kit, the Central Coast flyer might consider adding a calculator.
With four tries on the Roosters’ left edge, the centre was untouchable against the Dragons and topped it off with five goals for a personal haul of 26 points.
TARSHA GALE CUP
RAPHAELLA PERIGO (PARRAMATTA)
Parramatta’s race to the finals is over, but that didn’t stop Raphaella Perigo from putting on the moves against North Sydney.
The slippery five-eighth scored two tries and played a part in many more.
Among a swag of classy plays that included pinpoint kicks and wrap-arounds, our favourite was a clever left-arm flick pass for Lindsay Tui’s first try.
KASEY REH (ILLAWARRA)
She’s the No.7 with the golden touch, and on Saturday Kasey Reh was at her glittering best.
From the moment the Steelers half raced 90m for the opening try in the third minute, she could do nothing wrong.
The Steelers ran the Panthers ragged, and Reh played a role in each of the first seven tries.
EVAH MCEWEN (NEWCASTLE)
Newcastle are blessed with loads of pace on the right edge, but Evah McEwen is the key to the puzzle.
Last week the imposing No.12 toyed with the Sharks. Once again her lethal left-arm fend was prominent as she crossed for a hat-trick.
But she didn’t stop there, on a day where she created numerous attacking opportunities.
TYRA EKEPATI (SYDNEY ROOSTERS)
The Roosters just edged out Manly in a low scoring contest and it was the brilliance of Tyra Ekepati that turned the contest.
With defence the order of the afternoon, the fullback made something out of nothing on her own side of halfway.
After slicing through the Sea Eagles’ left edge, she stepped on the gas, swerving her way around the fullback before diving over next to the posts in an outstanding solo effort.
DALIA NABHAN (ST GEORGE)
Tries have been a rarity for the winless Dragons in 2024, so it was good to see them get across the stripe on two occasions against Canberra.
Dalia Nabhan threw a massive dummy before plunging over for the Dragons’ first. And the joy on her teammates’ faces as they mobbed the No.9 made it one of the plays of the round.
HAROLD MATTHEWS
MATTHEW BARAKAT (CANTERBURY)
Throwing his hat in the ring for Harold Matthews player of the year.
The halfback was sensational in dismantling Illawarra, finishing with three try assists to cap a near perfect game with halves partner Elijah Tu’ifua.
If they keep this going, they can go all the way.
HEAMASI MAKASINI (WESTERN SUBURBS)
In a big game against a competition heavyweight, one of the division’s hottest prospects stood tall to continue his incredible season.
Makasini scored a double in impressive fashion, firstly beating defenders from a standing start to power his way over, before leaping high and coming down with a bomb in great fashion to put the exclamation mark on the win.
HUNTER BELL (PENRITH)
Put in a captain’s knock to help Penrith knock off the Knights to keep his side’s slimmest of finals hopes alive.
Dazzled with a beautiful right-foot step to bamboozle his marker and open the scoring for the Panthers, before the moment of the day.
Trailing by two with less than a minute to go, Bell leapt high to take the short kick-off and weaved his way from 30m out to win the game on the bell for his team.
KRUGER ROACHE (CANBERRA)
The classy centre gets better as the year goes on.
Two tries and a try assist capped a man of the match performance, including producing one of the tries of the weekend.
From a standing start off a tap restart on the opposition 40m line, Roache stepped past the initial defender and left the fullback grasping at thin air.
JYARAH DELANEY (CRONULLA)
The Sharks winger showed us a brilliant display of pure speed to give the Sharks a likely finals appearance.
From playing the key role in a 95m team try to showing off with his inch-perfect putdowns to complete a double, there was a lot to love about what Delaney put forward.
SG BALL
HAAMI LOZA (NEWCASTLE)
To say he completely dominated Newcastle’s SG Ball victory over South Sydney would be an understatement.
Backed up Connor Votano to score one himself before taking over the contest.
Loza turned the game on its head with five try assists in the second half with tap ons, pin-point kicks and perfect cutouts to show off his full repertoire.
ETHAN ROBERTS (SYDNEY ROOSTERS)
The Roosters second rower has looked good out on an edge this season and was typically strong against a fellow contender.
A strong player who was involved, ran his lines well and played a hand in a few tries as well to help his side secure the minor premiership.
SHADI HAMMOUD (ST GEORGE)
We’ve seen his boot come to the fore plenty of times this season, and it just might’ve helped the Dragons take out a top-two spot.
Five-eighth Hammoud was on song as he set up two tries with his accuracy, and converted all nine tries to lead St George to a big win.
JAVAHN STEVENSON-HALA (PARRAMATTA)
We love it went front rowers cross the stripe, and we’re ecstatic when they manage to do it twice in a game.
While it was a highlight watching the big fella charge his way over, it was more so his effort in the middle that saw him make the list as he terrorised the Bears on both sides of the ball.
DYLAN BRETTLE (PARRAMATTA)
It was too hard to ignore the efforts of the Eels halfback, giving them two players recognition this week.
He helped turn the tide of the game in Parramatta’s favour on either side of halftime, scoring a brilliant individual try and putting centre Devonte Vaivela for a double.
WEEKEND TALKING POINTS
With only one round remaining in the NSWRL Junior Reps, round eight had its fair share of elation and heartache as sides battled for places in the all important top six.
Many teams kept their finals hopes alive, while several left their charge a week too late. Here are the major talking points from round eight of the Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cup competitions.
ROOSTERS FINGERS CROSSED
The final round of the Lisa Fiaola Cup promises to be a beauty. Currently in sixth, the Roosters have a round nine bye and will fancy their chances of making the cut.
But if the seventh placed Knights have a day out against the Bears, they could mow down the 22-point differential shortfall and squeeze the Roosters out of the top six.
PRESSURE ON FIAOLA TOP GUNS
Speaking of points differential in the Fiaola Cup, there’s still a chance the fourth and fifth ranked Central Coast and Tigers can still miss the boat.
Both sit two points clear of Newcastle (7th), but with little difference in the differentials, a final round loss could prove costly.
DRAGONS’ TOUGH FINISH
You have to feel for the Fiaola Dragons. In what has been a winless season, the under-17 girls will finish their campaign next Saturday against the high flying Bulldogs.
With last week’s bye, Canterbury officially wrapped up the minor premiership and are expected to hit the ground running in a full scale finals tune up.
STEELERS WITH OPTIONS
Illawarra have already secured top spot on the Tarsha Gale ladder, so it will be interesting to see who they trot out to face Cronulla in the final round.
In what shapes as a gruelling finals series, fresh legs could make all the difference.
TOP SIX FINALISED
The fight for finals spots is officially done and dusted in Tarsha Gale.
With one round remaining, three points separates the sixth ranked Sharks and Canberra in seventh.
Parramatta have won their last two and currently sit in eighth spot, but have paid the price for a 0-3 start.
SERIOUS SEA EAGLES
If they hadn’t already proven themselves in a breakout Tarsha season, Manly certainly stamped themselves as a serious contender against a formidable Roosters combination.
Despite the two-point loss, the powerful Sea Eagles combination led for the majority of the match in a performance that will have all top three sides looking over their shoulder.
KNIGHT TO WATCH
Newcastle proved they could be a Tarsha dark horse during the finals. Needing to down Cronulla, the Knights season looked to be on the rocks when the Sharks surged back to level the scores midway through the opening half.
But with Evah McEwen on the books they didn’t need to worry. Half an hour later, the damaging backrower had a hat-trick against her name and the Knights were 22 points clear.
CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT
It’s been tough to get a read on Penrith’s Harold Matts this year.
At times they’ve looked like title contenders, while on other occasions they’ve found the going very tough.
Round eight saw them knock off the Knights and end any hope they had of making the finals, and they looked brilliant in doing so.
MAGPIES KEEPING ON
There was talks on the Wests Tigers being desperate to keep Heamasi Makasini on the books, and it’s not hard to see why.
He’s been a star for the Magpies in their seven-game unbeaten run, adding another double and helping them knock off the Roosters.
Both are flying at the moment and they can certainly go all the way.
BATTLE FOR THE AGES
Wests aren’t the only U17s boys undefeated side however, with Canterbury and Parramatta keeping their run going with big wins at the weekend.
They look the three clear picks with the finals rolling around, and you’d be a brave person to pick against them.
Wests and Parramatta play each other this week in a clash that will determine who secures a top-two finish.
THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Last year Manly was anchored to the bottom of the ladder and couldn’t pick up a win.
Now they’re just one victory away from securing their spot in the finals.
A big finish saw them take care of business against the Tigers and now a win over the Roosters should be enough to see them in the post-season.
KNIGHTS CLOSING OUT STRONG
You have to admire the way the Knights get things done in SG Ball.
South Sydney have had a resurgence and came to play in Cessnock, keeping things tied at the break.
The Knights came out all guns blazing in the second half and a quick-fire hat-trick from Logan Aoake saw them skip away.
STATEMENT MADE
If there were any doubts on who the SG Ball favourites were, the Roosters quickly reminded everyone.
They were brilliant on their trip to Camden, smashing the Magpies 42-16 who were boosted by the return of Tallyn Da Silva.
An explosive attacking team, their defence has gone to another level this season to be rated the best in the competition.
WINNER TAKES ALL
The round nine clash between Wests and Parramatta is shaping up as the most important of the weekend.
The Eels did enough to take down Norths and improved to fifth with both Illawarra and the Magpies tasting defeat.
They sit one point ahead of Wests, but with the two coming together this weekend, whoever can come out on top will keep their season alive.
SECOND UP FOR GRABS
St George ended Canberra’s season, and gave their own the best chance of progressing further after their huge win saw them move into second.
They were able to overtake Newcastle on points differential coming into the final round.
With a trip to New Zealand to play on Sunday, they will know exactly what they need to do in order to get a first round bye in the finals.
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Originally published as NSWRL Junior Reps round eight: Top 20 performers and key talking points
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