City v Country: City dominate final day in U17s, U19s, physical disability matches
The final day of City v Country rugby league action was nothing short of spectacular with full field tries, close encounters and future stars turning heads. Catch up on all the action.
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The final day of City v Country rugby league action had it all - full field tries, close encounters and the spotlight firmly on the rising stars of the great game.
The NSW representative weekend concluded on Sunday with the Physical Disability match kicked off proceedings, before the U17 and U19 women’s matches showcased some of the brightest up-and-coming women’s footy talents in NSW.
CITY v COUNTRY: team previews for all eight games
WOMEN’S UNDER-19s: Origin jerseys and NRLW contracts on the line
Check out the wraps of all three Sunday games below and be sure to keep reading to catch up on the action from the previous days.
U19 women’s: City put on try-scoring clinic
City completed their final day trifecta with a 26-8 win over Country in the Women’s U19s.
Georgia Willey opened the scoring for the Country side in the opening 10 minutes after a good right to left spread involving the entire Country spine.
Country would bounce back through captain Chloe Jackson who ran the ball on the last tackle after a strong set from the Country side that started well inside their half of the field, showing to the left before diving in to score herself.
Country would profit from their left flank again just minutes later, with centre Litia Fusi refusing to be dragged down in a tackle, keeping the legs pumping and finishing in the corner.
Not letting the margin get away from them though, Country bounced back from their other winger this time in Charlotte Eather, getting the better of her opposite defender and finishing in the corner.
Lindsay Tui would send the City side into the sheds with the lead, showing great running power and drive to beat a few tackles and find the line.
The margin would extend early in the second half with Fusi scoring her second of the match, driving forward and again showing great power to out-muscle her defenders.
Gaps were starting to appear in the Country defensive line, as Latisha Smythe charged through to score from close range all too easily and increase the City lead.
City would score their final try right off the next kick-off in what was probably the try of the day.
Chloe Jackson stepped the defensive line and charged into open space, finding the quicker legs of Fusi to her left, who had Grace-Lee Weakes in support to offload to and finish off a terrific full field try for the City side.
The three final day wins for City meant it was five City wins to Country’s three for the 2023 series.
U17 women’s: City too tough to handle
The City side flexed their muscles in the U17s clash to emerge 16-4 winners in a strong display featuring a number of emerging female footy stars.
In a defensively sound first half from both sides, City prop forward Alaianne Toia-Alaimalo eventually broke down the Country resistance, steaming her way over the defensive line from close range for the only points of the first half.
City extended their lead in the second half thanks to a terrific solo effort from centre Mariah Fasavalu-Faamausili, getting low and keeping the legs pumping to force her way out of a number of attempted tackles and score a four pointer.
City seemed to find their attacking mojo in the second half, as shortly after Khyliah Gray would finish in the corner after five-eighth Waiaria Ellis launched a short-side run-the-ball play on the last tackle.
City would find more holes in the Country defence on the opposite flank as well, with Bethany Too converting a simple right to left spread in the corner for their fourth try.
The Country girls wouldn’t go home scoreless though, with five-eighth Sienna Thomas showing some serious foot speed to skip through the line and score on the right flank.
No conversions scored kept the scoreline somewhat closer than perhaps it could’ve been for the City side.
Physical disability: City clinch victory in dying minutes
Sunday; s action at Kogarah kicked off under grey skies after overnight rain but took nothing away from the quality of footy action, commencing with the City side clinching a slender 16-10 victory over their Country opposition in the physical disability game.
Two enthralling 20 minute halves of action saw a tight match unfold, with the first try coming narrowly before halftime through Australia’s Player of the Tournament in last year’s Physical Disability World Cup, Bryce Crane, crossing in the second minute off an Anthony Agius assist.
The Country side bounced back through fullback Rylan Gaudron, scoring a terrific solo long-range effort in which he fended off a number of attempted tackles and ran the length of the field to score.
Crane would notch up a second before the break, running over half the field to score and give City a six-point advantage going into the sheds.
Gaudron was back at it again in the second half, reducing the margin to two after finishing down the left flank.
It would be Crane who had the last laugh though, sealing his hat-trick and his side’s victory with two minutes remaining after a terrific weaving run that ended in the ball over the line.
A terrific contest to kick off the final day of City v Country action.
U16 men’s: City clinical in seven-try rout
City chalked up the first victory of the day, with a hat-trick to barnstorming backrower Heinz Lemoto capping off a dominant 30-0 win over Country.
The Penrith junior, who also claimed player-of-the-match honours, had a field day on the left edge as City ran in seven tries to none.
Fittingly, it was the big backrower who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, proving to be far too strong for the Country goal line defence and crashing over from close range to make it 4-0.
Seven minutes later City found joy on their left edge, with five-eighth Onitoni Large crossing after being fed a great ball from his halves partner Jhett Sydir.
City were well and truly controlling possession and yardage, and they made Country pay again in the 20th minute with a brilliant solo effort to centre Heamasi Makasini.
Catching the ball 30 metres out from Country line, the young City star threw a dummy and then burned his opposing centre with speed. Holding the ball in just his left hand, he dived for the try line and expertly planted it down in the corner as Country fullback Jack Talbott came across in defence to make it 12-0.
The second half started in much the same way as the first, with Lemoto once again showing his strength to barge over for his second seven minutes after the break.
Four minutes later it was a hat-trick. Attacking the line, he sent Country halfback Toby Batten flying with a huge palm, before carrying two other defenders over the line to score and stretch the lead out to 20.
City hooker Diesel Hagan then scored midway through the second half, diving on a ricocheted grubber kick from Sydir to score underneath the sticks, with a final try putting the icing on the cake and securing the 30-0 victory.
U18 men’s: City put on the razzle dazzle in brilliant win
City made it two from two in the juniors with some spectacular tries setting up a 30-10 victory over a resilient Country side.
In what was a game made for the highlights reel, winger Casey McLean bagged a sensational double, backrower Lachlan Galvin scored one and had a hand in three others, while hooker Tallyn Da Silva marshalled the team around the park brilliantly in a man-of-the-match performance.
The City side got off to the perfect start after just four minutes with a spectacular long-range try.
With a scrum 40 metres out from their own line, City went to the short side, with centre Michael Gabrael getting on the outside of his defender before releasing winger Casey McLean, who showed a clean pair of heels to shoot down the sideline and then come round to put the ball down under the sticks.
The opener was just a taste of things to come, with McLean putting in a contender for try of the year on 25 minutes.
With Country on the attack, halfback Eden Hodges went to the sky with a bomb towards McLean’s wing.
Under heavy pressure, the winger leapt up high and caught the ball cleanly, before shooting up the sideline in what seemed like the same motion, showing way too much toe for the chasing Country defenders to go 95 metres and extend the lead.
While City led 10-0, Country hit back with a great response, throwing a City player into touch straight after the kick-off.
After having consecutive sets on their opponents’ line, Country finally found a breakthrough when five-eighth Jye Linnane fed Jarrah Treweek a great ball that saw the backrower burst through the defence to bring the scores back to 10-6.
However just when Country got back into the game, City extended their lead once more on the stroke of halftime.
It all started with forward Jordan Miller, who made a great run through the middle before offloading to a charging Da Silva, who cut through the Country defence before flinging the ball away to Galvin, whose winding run took him from the centre of the field, past several defenders and into the corner, where he planted the ball down just centimetres inside the corner post to give his side a 14-6 lead at the break.
City kept a hold of the momentum after the break, with some nice work down the left edge from Latu Fainu, Galvin and Richard Penisini – the brother of Parramatta star, Will – putting Siamani Leuluai over in the corner.
Galvin was then in the thick of the action again 10 minutes later. Following through on a huge bomb from Fainu, the backrower leapt brilliantly to catch the ball in front of Country fullback Sam Gash before offloading to teammate Ethan Roberts, who scored next to the sticks to put City ahead 24-6 and seal the match.
Despite going down, the gallant Country side didn’t give in, and in the 57th minute Xavier Cacciotti – who scored 12 tries in the recent Andrew Johns Cup campaign, including four in the Monaro Colts’ grand final loss – burrowed over from dummy half to pull things back to 24-10.
With seven minutes to go Country came agonisingly close slashing the lead again and setting up a grandstand finish after Linnane brilliantly regathered a chip from his halves partner Eden Hodge, only for his pass to supporting teammates – who had nothing but the try line ahead of them – to go to ground.
City then rubbed salt into the wound just moments later when Fainu linked up with McLean and Galvin to break open the country defence and cap off the 30-10 victory.
Open men’s: Country hold on in modern classic
Country has won back-to-back clashes over their rivals City after a thrilling 26-20 victory in the open men’s match at Jubilee Stadium.
After leading by 16 points midway through the second half, Country – reduced to 12 men for the final 10 minutes – was ultimately forced to rely on its desperate goal line defence to win after City made a stirring comeback in the final stages.
Country five-eighth and captain Chad O’Donnell was outstanding for the victors, having a direct hand in two key tries as he was named man of the match.
The win was the second-straight nailbiter between the two sides, with Country getting over the line 36-34 last year.
Country started the brighter of the two sides and took the lead in the sixth minute when backrower Levi Pascoe ran a great line to get on the end of an excellent pass from halfback Sam Clune.
Despite going down early, City started to work its way into the game by making good metres through the middle. They eventually made their territorial advantage count in the 18th minute, with a nice backline move and cut-out ball from fullback Curtis Wilson putting winger Jake Tago over in the corner to level scores at 4-4.
However just as it looked as though City was starting to gain the upper hand, Country hit back with an ultimately match-defining period that saw the side go over for three tries inside 15 minutes.
The first came in the 25th minute when backrower Lincoln Smith showed some nice footwork close to the line to evade his defender and cross for a try.
They extended the lead six minutes later when interchange forward Tom Warner nudged ahead of the City defenders to dive on a clever Sam Clune grubber to score.
Then, just before the halftime break, Country delivered a hammer blow to City with the try of the match.
On the attack 20 metres out from the City line, O’Donnell hooked a lovely chip kick over to winger James Bradley, who expertly batted the ball back to his centre partner and Maitland Pickers teammate Gary Anderson, who crossed to give his side a 20-4 lead at halftime.
City needed to be the first to score in the second half to keep their chances alive, and after a tight opening period they did just that, with Denzal Tonise burrowing over from dummy-half next to the posts in the 57th minute to reduce the lead to 10.
But just as they had done in the first half, Country hit back again, with fullback Cameron Anderson linking up well with his Newcastle Rebels teammate O’Donnell to score from a well-executed attacking scrum set-play to stretch the scoreline out to 26-10.
Just when it looked like Country were set to close out the match, City launched a stirring comeback on the back of a series of big plays.
With nothing seemingly happening, City fullback Wilson made a break through some sloppy Country defence, before passing to five-eighth Todd Sapienza in support to score under the sticks.
Then with 10 minutes to go City pulled off another huge momentum-shifting play.
With Country on the attack and looking to close out the match, City centre Tony Satini pulled off an intercept and made a break up field. After pulling him down on half way, Country fullback Cameron Anderson was penalised for lying in the ruck and was sent to the sin bin, forcing his team to see out the match with 12 men.
City kept knocking on the door and with seven minutes to go centre Alfred Smalley, who had troubled Country all day, set up a grandstand finish with a rampaging run that saw him beat an incredible eight country players to score.
After palming off the first defender, Smalley managed to shrug off another two defenders, before getting up off the deck, bouncing away from another couple of would-be Country tacklers and powering over to score.
Although the conversion attempt went wide, the scoreline stood at 26-20 with five minutes to go.
City kept applying the pressure with back-to-back sets on the Country goal line late in the match.
However Country were stoic in defending their line, with a desperate scrambling effort from interchange player Latrell Siegwalt and some excellent goal line defence, including a brilliant up-and-in challenge from winger James Bradley, keeping City at bay and ensuring a thrilling Country win.
Wheelchair rugby league: Country untouchable in record win
Country put on an absolutely stunning display to dismantle City 70-15 in a record-breaking win in their wheelchair rugby league clash at Queanbeyan PCYC.
The Country side led from start to finish in the totally dominant performance, with Zach Karl named man of the match for his excellent performance.
The rout started inside the first minute, with Brett Henman setting up Rick Engels for a try after just 30 seconds.
Country then crossed one minute later as Brad Grove scored, with the team racing to a 22-0 lead after just 15 minutes.
While William Derederenalagi pulled one back for City, Country took an ominous 40-6 lead into halftime.
Although the result was safe, Country certainly didn’t put their foot on the brakes, crossing for several more tries in the second half to run out 70-15 winners.
Open women’s: Country claim famous win
An incredible defensive display has helped Country claim a dramatic 18-12 victory over City at Jubilee Stadium.
After a horror start that saw the team concede three tries inside the first 12 minutes, Country fought back with three of their own, with Kirra Dibb’s perfect night with the boot proving the difference.
The five-eighth was outstanding for the Country side, with a direct hand in two tries and an excellent general kicking game earning her player-of-the-match honours.
“She always steps up in these big type of games, just her leadership and how she directs (us) around the park,” Country captain Kezie Apps told Fox Sports after the game.
“It was a great game by her and a great game by all. I feel like we all dug deep and we just kept scrambling, and I feel like the country bumpkins do that really well … We just scramble for each other and it showed out there tonight.”
The victory is Country’s second straight after prevailing 14-6 last year, and evens the ledger between the two sides to three-all.
“I’m so proud of the girls, especially our defensive effort there in that last little bit – that last 10 minutes felt like it went for about an hour, sitting on the bench too,” said Apps, who came from the field with a hamstring injury. “But extremely proud of the girls, obviously we didn’t have the best start – we were a bit slow and a bit rocky – but extremely proud of them.”
Indeed, it was the worst possible start for Country, who dropped the ball in their first set of six – with City making them pay.
Barely two minutes into the match City winger Cassie Staples scored in the corner after centre Leianne Tufuga created an overlap with some nice footwork.
The pain continued in the seventh minute when City halfback Tayla Preston took advantage of some napping Country defenders close to the line and broke through to score.
Preston was in the thick of the action, with her bombs giving the Country backs plenty of headaches and resulting in multiple turnovers.
It was about to get worse for Country, with Monalisa Soliola scoring after a nice backline move exposed a huge overlap to send City 12-0 ahead in just the 12th minute.
Remarkably, Country had just 5 per cent possession by this stage as City ruthlessly capitalised on their opponents’ errors.
The home side was on the attack directly after the kick-off once more before a turning point changed the game.
On the attack and with an overlap to the right, City looked as though they were about to cross for their fourth, however a knock-on landed in the hands of Country winger Teagan Berry. From here, there was no chance anyone was going to catch the former junior national 100 metre silver medallist who ran 95 metres to score.
Dibb slotted the conversion to remarkably leave scores at 12-6.
From here, Country slowly worked their way into the match, with backrower Ellie Johnston and captain Kezie Apps, who came off the bench to play in the front row, impressive in both attack and defence.
City had the chance to extend its lead to eight points on the stroke of halftime, however Preston miskicked the conversion and scores remained 12-6 at the break.
Country continued to build momentum after the break and were rewarded with a try to Ellie Johnston seven minutes into the second half.
Dibb was the architect, taking on the line and making a half break before offloading to her second rower who crashed over from close range. The five-eighth then added the extras to lock things up at 12-all.
Country kept knocking on the door and finally took the lead midway through the second half with the try of the match.
Dibb was in the thick of it again, putting up a dangerous cross field bomb for winger Teagan Berry, who leapt in front of City winger Zali Fay to take the ball and score. Dibb’s perfect night with the boot continued as she put Country ahead 18-12 with 15 minutes to play.
While Country hit the front, it was hardly smooth sailing, with the team knocking the ball on in three consecutive sets – and then kicking the ball out on the full on the fourth – in the dying stages to invite City back into the contest.
However Country’s goal line defence was incredibly stoic and held firm against the late City onslaught to seal a famous victory.
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