NSWRL Junior Reps Preliminary Finals: Full results and photo gallery, grand final fixtures revealed
There were major upsets, dominant victories and teams creating history. We look back at the NSWRL Junior Reps preliminary finals with our huge gallery, plus check next week’s GF fixtures.
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Two of Sydney’s most iconic suburban grounds played host to the NSWRL Junior Reps preliminary finals.
Teams across all four grades had one thing on their minds.
Catch up on our coverage from Henson Park and Leichhardt Oval, plus our full gallery from the weekend.
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Harold Matthews Cup - SG Ball Cup - Lisa Fiaola Cup - Tarsha Gale Cup - Weekend Gallery
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS vs NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS
The Warriors have continued their dream finals run in their inaugural Harold Matthews season with a gritty 12-10 win over Canterbury at Henson Park.
The conditions resembled a cold winter’s day in New Zealand and the visitors played them to perfection.
They did the damage early, with Kairus Booth and Lennox Tuiloma crossing in the space of five minutes to lead 10-0 through the opening 13 minutes.
Matthew Barakat brought the margin back to six at the break, before the boot of Booth slotted a penalty goal to push it beyond a converted try.
With time winding down it was Hassan Rabaa who crossed from dummy half in the shadows of full-time to give them one last set to try and snatch a late win.
It wasn’t to be, with the Warriors securing a famous victory.
WESTERN SUBURBS MAGPIES vs CRONULLA SHARKS
In a dour game impacted by the weather, Western Suburbs held off a gallant Cronulla outfit 8-6 at Leichhardt Oval.
Tyson Walker’s third minute try was the only time the Magpies crossed the stripe, with Heamasi Makasini adding two penalty goals to give them an eight-point buffer.
For a long period it looked like they would be the only points of the game, before Kaden Garner scored in the 50th minute to give the Sharks a fighting hope over the concluding stages.
They couldn’t muster another try, with the Magpies set to take on the Warriors in the grand final.
SG BALL CUP
SYDNEY ROOSTERS vs CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
Canterbury held off a late Roosters charge to surge its way into the SG Ball grand final with a 28-22 victory at Henson Park.
It continued a seven-game winning streak for the Bulldogs, with the Roosters suffering their first defeat of the season.
Two quick tries to Fanafou Seve and Mitchell Woods had Canterbury humming, before Tyreece Tait scored out wide to bring the margin back to six close to halftime.
With time winding down, a piece of individual brilliance from Alex Conti to take on the line, show a dummy and race 40 metres to take them into the sheds with a handy break.
Jake Elliott brought the Roosters back to within a converted try soon after the break, but it was Conti again who took on the line and came up with a double.
Sosaia Kaufusi scored inside the final 10 to push the Bulldogs lead out to 28-12, but the Roosters weren’t done.
Tait returned a grubber kick 90m to post his second, before the Roosters went the length on the field on the next set to set up a grandstand finish inside the final two minutes.
They worked the ball down the field and had one last throw of the dice, before a Ratu Rinakama intercept ended their hopes of a comeback.
ST GEORGE DRAGONS vs NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
After more than 30 years in the SG Ball Cup wilderness, the St George Dragons will meet Canterbury in next week’s decider following a comprehensive 36-4 victory over Newcastle in the final game of the evening at Leichhardt.
Little separated the sides heading into the clash. Newcastle won by two points earlier in the season, and with a two-point superior differential, the second ranked Dragons finished one spot higher on the ladder.
Newcastle attacked early, but in the second minute electric fullback Tyler Peckham-Harris returned an attacking grubber past halfway. And from that moment, the Dragons never looked back and raced to a 20-4 halftime lead.
Rangy backrower Cyrus Stanley-Traill was unstoppable early. He crashed over for the first and his offload paved the way for St George’s second, when winger Zachariah Nachar crossed out wide in the sixth minute.
Newcastle made the most of a rare trip down field and trailed 8-4, when halfback Haami Loza opened the way Connor Votano to slice through.
With 13 tries already under his belt this season, it wasn’t long before winger Jesse Williams had Red-V fans roaring with delight. Fifteen minutes shy halftime, the No. 5 grounded a Peckham-Harris kick, and he combined with the fullback six minutes later, extending the margin to 16.
Every time Newcastle threatened to make a move, the Dragons had an answer. Their big men kept rolling forward, and Peckham-Harris kept poking his nose through the line.
With two further tries straight after the break it was all St George, as the Dragons piled on the points with tries to David Afu and skipper Shadi Hammoud.
Then as the full-time hooter sounded, Jesse Williams immediately kick started the celebrations, racing clear to bring up his hat-trick on a historic night.
After the heartbreak of last season’s grand final loss to Parramatta, it was a bitter pill for the Knights to swallow, but they simply had no answers to a well drilled and skilful Dragons outfit.
LISA FIAOLA CUP
ILLAWARRA STEELERS vs WESTS TIGERS
The Wests Tigers have stunned the Steelers to advance to the Lisa Fiaola Cup grand final, scoring a big 32-14 victory at Leichhardt Oval.
Things went according to script early with Ella Greatz getting the Steelers on the board inside 10 minutes, before the Tigers flipped it in style.
Three tries in a 13-minute stretch saw them take a 16-6 lead at halftime, before another four in the second half saw them race away with a 32-6 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
Illawarra managed to hit back with two late tries, but it was all academic at that point with the Tigers the first team into the grand final.
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS vs NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Canterbury have shown why they are the Lisa Fiaola Cup favourites after overpowering Newcastle 22-4 at a slippery Leichhardt Oval.
The minor premiers were never seriously threatened in extending their unbeaten run to nine matches, and now face Wests Tigers in next week’s decider at CommBank Stadium.
With the aid of a howling southerly, the Knights looked like striking the first blow after halfback Isla Hodgson kicked a 40-20.
But the ball went to ground midway through the next set, and they received another blow shortly after when powerful prop Brooklyn Davico was assisted from the field with a leg injury.
Given an even share of possession, Canterbury quickly asserted their authority through the middle and opened the scoring when halfback Olivia Vaalele found winger Asha Taumoepeau-Williams with a lovely cut-out pass.
Kiana Vatubua made it 8-0 in the 11th minute, the Bulldogs No. 2 sliding across in the left corner. And the score looked like getting out of hand a few minutes later when backrower Aliahana Fuimaono crossed for the third.
The Knights continued the weather the storm and refused to back down against a bigger opponent, arriving in numbers to hammer a seemingly try-bound Taumoepeau-Williams over the sideline in the right corner.
Canterbury jumped ahead 18-0 when prop Seriah Palepale plunged over five minutes after the break.
Canterbury’s only setback came when Vaalele suffered a head cut and had to leave the field. However, the skipper was quickly patched up and returned to the action.
Despite spending the entire second half camped in Newcastle’s territory, amid a spate of handling errors, the Bulldogs could only post one more try in the final 25 minutes.
Against the run of play, the Knights were rewarded in the final minute when winger Stevie Botham crossed out wide.
TARSHA GALE CUP
ILLAWARRA STEELERS vs CRONULLA SHARKS
Illawarra is one game away from completing a perfect season after downing Cronulla 26-4 at Leichhardt Oval.
Both sides refused to give an inch early as the Sharks were able to match the physicality of the Steelers in the middle.
They finally broke in the 16th minute, with Cronulla’s outside backs unable to defuse a Kasey Reh bomb, falling into the hands of Maria Paseka to open the scoring.
Just as it looked like the Sharks would hold on until the break, a lovely piece of lead-up work from fullback Herewaka Pohatu put Walsh into a hole to score her second on the stroke of halftime and give her side a 10-0 advantage.
The Steelers started the second half like they finished the first, scoring with their first set after another Reh kick was unable to be contained with Ella Koster there to swoop.
Just minutes later the lead was pushed to 20 and the task was made near impossible for the Sharks with Walsh grabbing her second on the back of a perfect pass from Evie McGrath.
Cronulla had its best moment of the game in the 45th minute with Jaydika Tafua running a great line to get on the end of a Marnie Isemonger pass and get their team on the board.
Pohatu sealed the game in style for the Steelers, with another assist for Darcy Eade to score on the buzzer.
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS vs NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
In another major boilover, Newcastle booked their Tarsha Gale grand final ticket after cruising past heavyweights Canterbury 28-0 at Leichhardt Oval.
After edging out Manly last week, the fifth ranked Knights oozed class, making amends for last season’s defeat in the grand final qualifier.
With the breeze at their backs Canterbury started with all the momentum, but it wasn’t long before the Knights turned the tables.
In a hectic opening, speedy winger Lilly McNamara was denied on two occasions, before five-eighth Evie Jones finally crashed over to make it 6-0 in the 11th minute.
Canterbury had a chance to draw level in the 21st minute, but were held up over the line by desperate Newcastle defence. Once again, the advantage then swung the other way as the Knights marched up field.
With numbers on the right, centre Aylah McCulloch found an open McNamara, and this time the winger squeezed into the right corner for her 10th try of the season.
Trailing 10-0 seconds before the interval, Canterbury appeared destined to reduce the margin, only for the ball to spill free as Audrey Nadaya-Harb reached across the line.
If the Bulldogs were to be any hope of making a consecutive grand final appearance, they needed a faultless return after the break.
Newcastle fullback Lilly-Ann White dashed those hopes, busting clear from the kick-off. Powerhouse backrower Evah McEwen then finished the set in style, crashing over next to the posts to make in 16-0.
The shell-shocked Bulldogs simply had no answer to Newcastle’s pack, and the points kept flowing.
White sold a perfect dummy to cross under the posts, and it was 28-0 when McEwen raced down the right touchline to finish the scoring in the 45th minute.
WEEKEND GALLERY
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