NSWRL Junior Reps Finals: All the action from day two of the finals, 70+ gallery
The Warriors and Cronulla were the big surprise packets on the second day of the NSWRL Junior Reps finals. Catch up on a dramatic beginning to the post-season at Leichhardt Oval, 70+ GALLERY
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The NSWRL Junior Reps finals are here with week one of the elimination finals at Leichhardt Oval.
There’s everything to play for with spots on the line in next weekend’s preliminary finals for the right to earn a spot on grand final day.
Here’s how day two played out on the first weekend of the finals.
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP – PARRAMATTA v WARRIORS
In a major upset, the giant killing Warriors have ended Parramatta’s season in the Harold Matts with a 30-20 victory in the opening game at Leichhardt Oval.
In the New Zealand side’s inaugural season, the under-17s outfit were largely untroubled after blowing away the Eels in the early stages.
A fired up Warriors jumped out of the gates and immediately had the unbeaten Eels on the backfoot. A clever offload by prop Gordon Pailegutu Taanuu Afoa ended in the hands of Dezman Laban, and the No.11 raced away to score in the opening minute.
Sensing more points through Parramatta’s flimsy right edge, centre Jeremiah Lemana simply swatted away several Eels to score in the eighth minute, and the boilover was on when Kairus Booth made it 12-0 with his second sideline conversion.
The shell-shocked Eels eventually settled and halfback Lincoln Fletcher challenged the line, but the points didn’t eventuate. Winger Lorima Rokosuka was held up over the tryline and another six points went begging following a fumble under the posts.
With Parramatta clinging on, Warriors replacement Isaiah Savea charged through the ruck and looked like going all the way. He was brought down short, but it mattered little when Laban crashed over for his second four minutes before the interval.
Trailing 18-0, Parramatta needed a perfect start to the second half but they were once again caught napping. Winger Ezekiel Davidson-Faaiuaso raced onto a grubber kick one minute after the resumption to post the visitors’ fourth try.
A try to Fletcher breathed life into the Eels and another quickly followed when fullback Cyrus Bloomfield sent winger Lorima Rokosuka away to cross under the posts.
With all the momentum with the Eels trailed 24-12, but another to Davidson-Faaiuaso broke their backs as the margin blew out to 18 points.
To their credit, the Eels kept coming and scored a couple of late tries through Fletcher and Andes Johansson, but the damage was already done.
SG BALL CUP – CANTERBURY v PARRAMATTA
With a typically spirited captain's knock from Mitchell Woods, Canterbury have ended Parramatta’s SG Ball campaign after sinking the Eels 42-10.
When these sides last met Canterbury finished comfortable 16-point winners. That was back in round five, and with five first half tries the Bulldogs continued from where they left off in early March.
In the ninth minute Woods showed why he’s been signed long term. From an attacking scrum, the young half combined with Latrell Fing on the short side to send winger Roy Tatupu across for the opening try.
He was at it again five minutes later, this time digging into the line before backrower Sosaia Alatini charged through to make it 10-0.
Canterbury continued its dominance through the middle, and after repeat sets Oliva Smith showed why he’s more than just a battering ram. The mobile prop drifted left and with a clever pass, celebrated as winger Ratu Rinakama crossed for Canterbury’s third.
It was a half where Parramatta couldn’t do anything right. After launching the restart out on the full, they then watched as Tatupu bagged his second, and when Logan Spinks plunged over it was 24-0 at halftime.
Five-eighth Alex Conti joined in after the interval. With numbers on the left, after the former Tiger counted correctly, Rinakama had his second of the day.
Parramatta’s fortunes eventually turned in the 56th minute when No.6 Lorenzo Talataina sprinted clear to score under the posts to make it 34-6.
With the result in order, further tries were exchanged before Conti closed out the scoring with a penalty goal after the final siren.
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP – CRONULLA v SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Up Up Cronulla. It sounded like a joke at the break, but the Sharks have managed to reel in an 18-point halftime deficit to roll a shell shocked Roosters 30-22.
By the time Cronulla finally got their hands on the ball, the Roosters had already put 12 points on the iconic Leichhardt Oval scoreboard.
With barely a minute on the clock, fullback Rex Bassingthwaighte exploded into the back field. The Dubbo speedster showed the Sharks defenders a clean pair of heels before winger Bailey Roberts-Lintmeijer loomed in support to plant the ball over the line.
At the end of the next set, moments after winger Jyarah Delaney grassed a bomb, James Finegan ghosted through some soft Cronulla defence to make it an even dozen.
The points dried up, but it was only for a brief moment. At the midway point of the opening half the Roosters took flight once again.
Only this time it was on the right edge through winger EJ Mahu-Delamerec. His charge along the grandstand touchline ultimately finished in the hands of Jeziah Papa, and the No.6 dotted down to make it 18-0.
Finally given a chance to attack, Cronulla fullback Oliver Lester showed his class to help reduce the deficit to 14. His deft grubber was claimed by Jaylan Herron, and the winger managed to wrestle his way into the left corner.
But just as Cronulla looked like surging, centre Lui Lee struck on the left edge to give the Tricolours a handy 22-4 halftime lead.
Whether it was the change of ends or the local halftime water. Something happened during the break, because Cronulla came out breathing fire.
In a blistering 23 minutes, the Sharks were unstoppable. Their big men led by the likes of Blake Watman rolled through the middle, and they piled on five unanswered tries to enjoy an astonishing eight-point lead.
Lock Thomas Dellow was inspirational. He grounded his own kick to initiate the comeback and powered across for another, while Lester showed the type of magic that has made him a crowd favourite all season.
The nippy No.1 scored one himself, and showed extraordinary skills off the boot to give Delaney a clear passage to the line.
Even when the Roosters looked on track to regain the lead at 24-22, Cronulla kept attacking and were rewarded when No.7 Jack Schumacher orchestrated the final try for centre Isaac Dawson.
TARSHA GALE CUP – SYDNEY ROOSTERS v CRONULLA
Cronulla have ended the Sydney Roosters’ hopes of back-to-back Tarsha Gale titles with a crushing 24-6 win in the final match of the opening round of Junior Reps finals.
After squeezing their way into sixth spot with four wins, Cronulla went in as underdogs. And their chances took another hit when reliable hooker Liliana Reardon was carried from the field in just the fourth minute.
Despite the blow, the Cronulla girls had the better of the opening half and headed to the sheds with a slender 6-0 lead.
The Sharks try came in the 15th minute on the back of an inspired charge from replacement Ariana Harden.
Sensing the Roosters struggling for numbers, halfback Olivia Herman directed the traffic towards the right and in combination with gun backrower Manilita Takapautolo, the pair sent Joy Levy scurrying over in the corner.
In a low scoring encounter, errors were always going to prove pivotal, and a Roosters knock-on two minutes after the restart was all Tia-Jordyn Vasilovski needed to unleash her pace.
Receiving the ball from a scrum 20m out, the fullback hit the afterburners and after slicing through the right edge, she offloaded to winger Raphaela Stojoski who crossed untouched. Another conversion to Marnie Isemonger made it 12-0.
A try to Sienna-Mae Montgomery in the 39th minute reduce the margin to six, but any chance of a Roosters comeback departed with Phoenix Lamese when the prop was sin binned for an apparent hip-drop tackle with 12 minutes to play.
Isemonger slotted the penalty goal and with an eight-point buffer Cronulla never looked back.
Harden crossed for a well deserved try, and rampaging prop Koreti Leilua closed out the victory in style with a runaway effort that will be long remembered in the Shire.
WEEKEND GALLERY: DAY TWO
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