NSWRL Junior Reps Grand Finals: Follow Lisa Fiaola, Harold Matthews, Tarsha Gale and SG Ball from Leichhardt Oval
The cream of the crop was on show at Leichhardt Oval with the next generation of stars showing out on NSWRL Junior Reps grand final day. Relive all the action from the four deciders.
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The cream of the crop was on show at Leichhardt Oval with the next generation of stars showing out on NSWRL Junior Reps grand final day.
Relive all the action from the Lisa Fiaola, Harold Matthews, Tarsha Gale and SG Ball Cup deciders in our extensive wrap below:
LISA FIAOLA - PARRAMATTA EELS 26 CENTRAL COAST ROOSTERS 10
An early blitz has helped Parramatta turn the tables on the Central Coast, running out 26-10 winners in the Lisa Fiaola Cup grand final.
The Roosters downed the Eels in week one of the finals, but this time around Parramatta raced out of the blocks, punishing the Central Coast for a forward pass when working out of their own territory.
They earned a penalty and a few plays later had a major overlap on the left, with Temieke Withers throwing the dummy and going over without a finger being laid on her inside four minutes.
The Eels controlled possession throughout and again they managed to crack the Roosters, with Withers again the maestro.
She took the ball to the line and her cutout found Georgia Wansey, who was able to muscle her way over to extend the lead to 12-0.
Parramatta continued to roll through the middle on the back of strong impact from bench forward Mere Sivo, and earned a contentious hip drop penalty that helped them extend the margin to 14 through 22 minutes.
The Eels almost pushed that out further after a Sharon Latapu bomb forced a mistake over the closing stages, with Withers’ cross-field kick unable to be contained by Sienna Bonelo over the line.
A Roosters error gave them one final chance in the half, and they took it through Freedom Crichton Ropati, who was able to put an in-and-away on her opposite to just touch down before being pushed into touch, giving them an 18-0 halftime margin.
Central Coast needed a spark and Bessy Combo delivered in a big way in the opening set of the second half, only for another error to squash their chances of an attacking set.
It was Combo just minutes later who broke their deadlock, charging at the line from close range.
Kewa Kahuroa tried to inspire the comeback with a one-on-one steal and Mia Vaotuua did the same with a big shot, and eventually it led to more points with Stella Hall throwing a cut-out and hitting Ayva Papalii to go over out wide.
Just as the Roosters looked set for a late charge, it was Isabella Bell who turned the game back in Parra’s favour, powering through a host of defenders to re-establish a 24-10 margin with 12 to play.
An opportunity to chew up some clock after a Roosters shoulder charge saw them push it to 16, a margin that would ultimately prove a bridge too far to overcome.
“It’s amazing. Especially after working hard for six months with the pre-season,” captain Bailey Ma-Chong said.
“Our mindset. Everything starts with that and making sure we gel together.
“We wanted to rumble up the middle and get our forwards running because that’s what we do best.
“We wanted to start fast and finish strong.”
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: IRAE SAVEA (PARRAMATTA)
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: MIA VAOTUUA (CENTRAL COAST)
HAROLD MATTHEWS - NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 30 NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 16
The Warriors are the kings of New South Wales after the New Zealand side made it a perfect two titles from as many attempts in the Harold Matthews Cup, downing Newcastle Knights 30-16.
After trailing early, the Warriors came into their own against a guts Knights outfit who were chasing their first title since 2019.
The Warriors made the early running, but after defending their own line it was Newcastle who struck the first blow with seven minutes on the clock.
Hot off a penalty, Cooper Votano showed why he’s hot property at the Knights. With little on from close range, the five-eighth exploded through the line, unleashing a lethal left-arm fend to cross under the posts.
And the margin quickly blew out to 12-0 when barnstorming prop Ashton Allen crashed across midway through the half.
Sensing their title hopes slipping away, the New Zealanders unleashed a wrecking ball of their own.
A man mountain on the Warriors’ left edge, Bishop Neal smashed the contest open with two tries in the space of five minutes to lock it up at 12 apiece.
Running an inside line, the No.12 busted through before bullying his way past the fullback, and he showed his strength in the 21st minute, carrying three defenders across the line from dummy half.
Newcastle stemmed the flow of points and appeared destined to take a six point advantage for the break. But just as Votano reached out to ground a grubber kick, Neal swooped from the clouds to shut down the play.
But the Newcastle No.6 wasn’t kept down for long. With consecutive penalties to open the second half, Votano sent Curtis Mulherin across for a 16-12 lead.
In a major blow before the start, Warriors five-eighth Tyson Hansen pulled out with an injury. Covering for the skipper in the halves, winger Hinckley Ioka came into his own, scoring the go-ahead try after handling three times in a stunning effort with 20 minutes left to play.
Trailing 18-16, Newcastle’s hopes crumbled amid a succession of turnovers and they were made to pay when prop Krushil Koteka steamed onto a short ball from hooker Dreytin Marriott to make it 24-16.
“The Knights came out strong, they’re a good team and got the better of us in the first 20 minutes,” said Neal after collecting the award as player of the match.
“They always tell me to back myself, because sometimes I’m too chilled and don’t do too much. So today, I just thought why not.”
It was a complete performance from the backrower who also turned up to defuse a couple of certain Newcastle four-pointers.
“To be honest, my defence hasn’t been the best all year,” Neal said.
“Side’s often target me because they think I’m tired but I use that as fuel. I want to keep working hard, because I still have a long way to go.”
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: BISHOP NEAL (NEW ZEALAND)
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: CARTER MAREKO (CENTRAL COAST)
TARSHA GALE CUP - PARRAMATTA EELS 28 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 16
Parramatta launched a stunning comeback to shock the Sydney Roosters with a 28-16 Tarsha Gale Cup grand final victory.
Logan Fletcher busted the Eels defence from a scrum, racing 50m down the touchline to narrowly be brought down short of the line.
Just a few plays later the Roosters struck when Te Raukura Leafe barged her way over inside three minutes.
Their lead became 12 just moments later when Mahlie Cashin was able to catch the Eels out around the ruck to score from dummy half.
Parramatta was lucky to keep 13 on the field after Taylah Falaniko hit a Roosters player late off the ball.
Errors kept the Eels grounded within their own territory, and eventually they fell further behind when Cashin hit Aliyah Nasio at speed who was too much to contain.
Trailing 16-0, Parra desperately needed a boost and it was a former Rooster to deliver the blow, with Tess McWilliams scoring under the posts.
It was McWilliams again who struck just before the break to bring it back to 16-12, hitting the ball up from 25m out, breaking through and carrying three defenders over the line.
The second half was a struggle for ascendancy early, before Katelyn Whitehead was clotheslined.
The Roosters worked it upfield from that, with Cashin inches away from scoring out of dummy half again.
Parramatta earned a penalty and had their first lead of the game with 14 minutes to go after Rory Muller turned Falaniko under on the line to score.
The victory was sealed five minutes from full-time when Aaliyah Soufan took on the line and broke through the defence.
McWilliams was named player of the match for her two-try effort, injecting a much-needed punch when the Eels were trailing by 16.
“We just needed a change. We know we didn’t have the start that we wanted,” she said.
“At the same time we had that confidence in our team and our girls. It was just a matter of getting our heads in the game and remembering that confidence, and that we can come back.
“It was always about trying to dominate the middle for us. We know they’ve got good edges so we decided to stick to our strengths.”
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: TESS MCWILLIAMS (PARRAMATTA)
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: RYVRR-LEE ALO (PARRAMATTA)
SG BALL - SYDNEY ROOSTERS 33 PARRAMATTA EELS 26
The Sydney Roosters struck late to claim the club’s fifth SG Ball title after the Tricolours came from behind in stunning scenes to defeat Parramatta 33-26 in an extra-time thriller at Leichhardt Oval.
Behind by eight and seemingly dead and buried with a couple of minutes to play, Boyd Cordner’s under-19s side tapped into their coach’s premiership winning spirit, scoring two tries to force the decider to extra-time.
A Toby Rodwell field goal put them in front 27-26, before lock Josiah Fesolai came up trumps with the only try of the 10 minutes of added time.
“It’s the best game I’ve ever been involved in,” said Rodwell after the halfback steered the Roosters home in a player of the match performance.
“To come down to that last couple of minutes and for the boys to finish the game like that is an awesome feeling.
“Boyd talked about these games going to the very end, and the teams that win always fight to the end. We didn’t shy away and just kept sticking to the task.”
While the up-and-coming half showed all the qualities that earned him a spot in the Roosters top-30 squad, he was quick to highlight the significance of a dominant pack.
“The boys were unreal in the middle,” he said. “They kept rolling the whole time, especially Kynan Toevai, Itula Seve and Phillip Lavakeiaho.”
The Roosters opened the game with a perfect couple of sets, but it came crashing down when they were pinged for failing to make contact with the boot in the play-the ball.
Gifted prime real estate, Christopher Petrus sliced through to open the scoring and the Eels quickly jumped ahead 12-0 when halfback Lincoln Fletcher raced over from his own kick in the eighth minute.
Playing off the back foot, Tyson Walker showed the type of touch that has made older brother Sam an NRL sensation.
With little room to move, the Tricolours five-eighth threaded the line with a deft kick for James Finegan to score, and he bobbed up again, sending winger EJ Mahu-Delamere across out wide with a similar play.
The Eels took a 16-12 lead to the sheds, and it was Petrus who proved the difference. Given little chance of contesting a Lorenzo Talataina bomb, the backrower launched himself above the fullback to come down for a miracle four-pointer.
In a major blow, Parramatta lost gun lock Max Popo to a leg injury in the first half and the Roosters capitalised on the advantage to grab an 18-16 lead straight after the break.
Sup-sub Phillip Lavakeiaho roared through centre field, opening the way for Finegan’s second, when the backrower reeled in a pinpoint Toby Rodwell bomb to end the set.
With 20 minutes to play, Parramatta broke the tit-for-tat with consecutive tries.
Winger Aidan Kebourian finished a clever scrum move in the left corner, and after an unforced Roosters error, Dom Farrugia reached across to break open the contest on the other side of the field.
Leading by six, Fletcher proved clutch from the sideline, landing a booming conversion for a crucial eight-point buffer with 12 minutes left.
But the Roosters struck back through Fesolai in the final two minutes and after opting not to take the conversion, levelled it up when centre Brooklyn Heath dashed into the right corner from the final play of regulation time.
With Walker’s missed conversion the decider went to extra time, although the Eels played with 12 after Fletcher was sent to the sin bin before the final play.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: TOBY RODWELL (SYD ROOSTERS)
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: LORENZO TALATAINA (PARRAMATTA)
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