Coogee-Randwick, Mascot put on a show in NSWRL grand final showcase filled with rep stars

With five New South Wales schoolboy reps and 24 Junior Bunnies squad members in both sides, can Coogee-Randwick and Mascot lay claim to playing in the most stacked NSWRL junior grand final this year?

RUGBY LEAGUE: The South Sydney Juniors have a reputation as being one of the best junior nurseries for players to graduate through to first grade.

A huge number of players featured at their local clubs with dreams of getting to grand final day at Redfern Oval, before playing on the biggest stages in the sport.

In recent years we’ve seen current Rabbitohs enforcers Cameron Murray and Keaon Koloamatangi during their days as teammates for the Mascot Jets and tasting grand final success.

Could we have seen the next batch of future Rabbitohs or NRL talent at Redfern Oval at the weekend?

The Coogee-Randwick Wombats and Jets faced off in a ding-dong battle to decide the U15s NSWRL Central Northern Conference premiers.

In a contest that was decided right at the death the Wombats prevailed 14-10, but it won’t be the last time we hear of some of the names who gave their all.

A total of 24 players from the two teams were named in the Junior Bunnies representative squad from earlier in the season, with five of the players representing New South Wales in the Australian Championships in Redcliffe.

NSW CHS's Lochlin Moses. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Brent Hill coaches the Wombats and serves a recruitment and retention within the Rabbitohs Pathways system, and said this was a strong indication of the calibre of player coming through the ranks at the moment.

“Numbers wise both clubs are very strong and have a good representation in the junior reps program,” Hill said.

“To feature in the one grand final is great. Clovelly had a very good side and so did Strathfield. It was quite an even comp across the board.

“You could miss the semi’s and still be a good team with talented kids coming through.”

In what turned out to be one of the games of the day, Coogee-Randwick came out on top 14-10 in a scintillating battle.

“It was 10-all coming into the last 15 minutes,” Hill said.

“We got a bit lucky with a call, then went on to score and win the game. We were on the tough end of one earlier, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

“Noone deserved to lose. The last 15 minutes they looked the better football side, but we got that crack and held on.

“It was a cracking game and it keeps them in (the sport) longer. There are so many options now, but the atmosphere at Redfern Oval was as good as it’s been in years.”

Hill predicts we will be hearing plenty more about these young men in the near future.

“I think both teams will produce kids that go higher up in the grades,” he said.

“Definitely into Jersey Flegg and potentially first grade.

“It’s exciting. The core of South Sydney is being able to produce local juniors, and they would have the record for most juniors (going onto first grade).”

Future bright for La Perouse as Panthers sweep titles

RUGBY LEAGUE: The La Perouse Panthers have a long and storied history in the South Sydney Juniors, and they added another chapter at the weekend.

The club took home four premierships across the grand final weekend, the most of any Souths club, an achievement they are stoked with.

“It just brings pride to the community,” La Perouse secretary Natalie Harkins said.

“It makes it so special, especially considering last year was cut short and the year before nobody played.

“To have the girls from U12s through to the women represented by La Perouse was special.

“The women’s game isn’t just growing within our junior league, but within the NRL, and we want to give as many girls the opportunity to reach their potential.”

They’ve got every reason to be proud, particularly with the feats of their open women, who downed Asquith in the final of the NSWRL East Conference division one title.

Across the entire weekend at Redfern Oval Harkins said there was support in the black and white, with the most impressive feat the amount of fans that travelled to North Sydney Oval to support their women.

“It just showed we have a lot of support across the club as far as the community goes,” she said.

“On Saturday more than half the stand was represented by La Perouse and our U12s had a lot of support the next morning.

“At North Sydney Oval on the opposite side of the field on the hill, every single person was representing the club. I haven’t seen that in a long time.

“They were our first team to reach a grand final in the open women.”

As well as tasting success in the open women’s, they were successful in bringing home the silverware in the U16s girls, U14s boys and U17s boys.

Harkins said that points to a very bright future for the players and the club, with a number looking to push on for higher honours.

“Trials are coming up for the Harvey Norman women and we’ve got quite a few that will be going,” she said.

“A number of our U17s boys are also trialling for Harold Matt’s as well.
“What winning those premierships does is gives them a lot of confidence going into their trials.”

Marrickville returns from brink of folding to premiership success

RUGBY LEAGUE: Less than a decade ago the Marrickville RSL Kings were faced with the very real prospect of folding as a club.

Now they’re still on a high after one of their finest moments, claiming the South Sydney Juniors reserve grade premiership on Sunday.
In front of what turned out to be the biggest crowd of the day, both the Kings and South Eastern turned it on in an entertaining display, with the former coming out on top 16-12.

It was a back-and-forth encounter with both sides enjoying periods of momentum, before Lino Fenukitau’s bargeover with eight minutes to play proved the difference.

For president Gerry Zapantis it was a particularly special moment, after playing his part in helping the club escape oblivion.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and it’s taken us seven years,” he said.

“We took the club over in 2016, and at that time the club was down to just one team and about to fold.

“All of us guys who took it over, we grew up playing for the club and wanted to get it going again.

“We’ve gone from one team then through to 15 this year. We’ve been trying to win the A-reserves since then. We’ve always made the semis and we finally got there this year.”

Boasting one of the most vocal fanbases in the competition and led by coach Villiami Ahosivi, Zapantis said the support of the Kings crew helped them when they needed it the most.

“We wanted it more,” he said.

“We’ve been working for a while to get that moment.

“I thought South Eastern were on top the whole game, and without the crowd we wouldn’t have got there.

“We’re one big family. Everyone involved in our club has grown up in the area and we now have kids of our own that play within the club. We’re a tight community.”

Zapantis hopes this is just the start of things for Marrickville RSL, with an eye on further developing their pathways and a tilt at the competition’s premier division.

“Moments like this are why we came back,” he said.

“Our talent was spread out everywhere else. We thought why are we representing clubs we don’t belong at?

“The victory on Sunday made it all worth it. There’s no other club like us in the Souths comp. The crowd was like the for A-reserves, imagine what it would’ve been like in A-grade.

“We’re going to have a crack at A-grade (next season). When we came back we haven’t had those older age groups coming through.

“This year we finally had an U18s team and we want to push them through. We should be able to field a good team.”

Last minute Phillips magic ends 103-year A-grade title drought

RUGBY LEAGUE: After 103 long years of waiting, the Matraville Tigers have risen to the summit of the South Sydney Juniors competition for the first time.

In an enthralling finish that had the vocal crowd at Redfern Oval on the edge of their seats, Matraville completed an unlikely comeback in the final minute of play to seal a 20-18 win over South Eastern.

The Tigers trailed by eight points with as many minutes to go, with a long range 70m effort started by Kurtis Preece and finished by Lewis Radley.

Enter Kareel Phillips.

The classy five-eighth hit Black Judd with a well-timed short ball to crash his way over the line and set up a grandstand finish.

He then scored the matchwinner to send the crowd into raptures, with a show-and-go allowing him to scoot over next to the posts.

“With eight minutes to go I thought we were gone,” manager Adam Matteson said.

“We could hear the boys behind the tryline when it was 18-10, and a couple of really experienced guys told the boys to lift their heads and there’s plenty of football to play.

“They managed to keep a cool head and score that try. Kareel was the best player on the ground.”

Despite having a number of chances to open the scoring, Matraville wasn’t able to convert their early chances.

They were made to pay as South Eastern posted first points, and looked to be cruising with a 10-0 advantage.

That was before Phillips put a grubber through the line in the shadows of half time, with Drey Mercy coming from nowhere to plant the ball down and keep them in the contest.

“We needed it,” Matteson said.

“We had a few tries disallowed and I thought we were the better team in the first half, we just couldn’t get that score on the board.”

The celebrations continued long into the night as the players and coaching staff cemented their spot in Tigers folklore.

“A lot of people from the community were at Club Matto and people from other teams were there that supported us,” Matteson said.

“Hats off to South Eastern. They handled the defeat with class and were very respectful. It shows we’re fierce rivals on the pitch, but off it a community.

“Speaking to the players today, they’re starting to realise how big an achievement it is. It’s taken 103 years to make it happen and it’s starting to dawn on them.”

MATCH PREVIEW

RUGBY LEAGUE: History is set to be made at Redfern Oval this weekend as the South Sydney Juniors competition wraps up for season 2022.

With two days of grand final action in store, it will all culminate on Sunday afternoon as a new A-grade champion will be crowned for their maiden title.

South Eastern finished the season as minor premiers and were the first team into the decider, where they will take on a Matraville outfit who toughed it out to edge past Coogee Dolphins in the preliminary final.

One club will claim their first ever A-grade title, earning their spot in the history books.

THE ROAD TO THE FINAL

South Eastern comes into the grand final as favourites on the back of an undefeated season.

They currently hold the advantage over the Tigers to the tune of 3-0 throughout 2022, although two of those wins came by just two and four points.

Matraville had a 9-3 record during the regular season, claiming a pair of semi final wins over the Dolphins to advance.

“This year we have pretty much had everyone available week in week out,” South Eastern coach Trevor Schembri said.

“Training has been phenomenal and a lot more professional.

“We’ve had the wood on them, but those games are behind us now. Sunday is the only game you want to win. It’s a new game this weekend and history means nothing.”

Their opponents have had a long road to get back to the top flight, building a roster from the ground up to compete with the top sides.

“Matraville hadn’t had an A-grade squad for 24 years,” manager Adam Matteson said.

“We really had to start from scratch in 2019. We certainly had to beg, borrow and steal.

“There’s been a lot of support from South Sydney Seniors. They made a decision that some players who weren’t playing Flegg or NSW Cup could be available for A-grade selection.

“What it’s done is improve the skill level and provided a much more competitive A-grade than the last few years.”

LOCAL RIVALRY ON DISPLAY

There’s just a stones throw between the home bases of each side, with Malabar and Matraville neighbouring suburbs.

It’s created a sense of intrigue among the southeast of Sydney as the battle lines are well and truly drawn.

“The support has been unbelievable,” Schembri said.

“We’re just down the road from each other, and to get two local teams in a grand final is great.

“You walk the dog and people wish you luck walking down the street. The community is behind both teams, and hopefully there’ll be a lot of support for us on Sunday.”

Matteson said there’s a healthy respect for each other among the clubs, but that will be tested this weekend.

“A lot of the boys know each other and are socially friends with each other,” he said.

“That’s something we’re grateful for. Some grades have to play all over Sydney, but we have a strong competition that is local.

“While a lot of us are friends, when we cross that line it’s a different story.”

THE HISTORY MAKERS

Both clubs have proud histories and multiple premierships across various divisions in the Souths Juniors, but never a top-line crown just yet.

“Both teams have never won one,” Schembri said.

“It’s going to be an amazing day for one club and pretty disappointing for the other.

“To finally get one would be amazing. From a small club six or seven years ago through to where we are today, that’s the only thing that has alluded us.

“I was part of the first reserves title in 1999, and to be a part of this would be something amazing not only personally, but for the club.”

For the Tigers, this season has meant more than just football, and a win on Sunday would be the icing on the cake for a revitalised club.

“We’re a real battlers club. It’s ironic that our oval is in the shadows of the performance centre. It’s a real contrast between community footy and the NRL,” Matteson said.

“As a club we’ve only fielded six teams this year We were quite strong back in the 80s and 90s.

“What this (season) has done is drawn a lot of old boys back to the club. People are talking about it in local shopping centres and it’s good for the community.

“You see people wearing Matto Tigers gear and talking about the team. We walk about mental health in all sports, and this helps people to connect and the community to reconnect.”