NSWRL Junior Reps Round 2: Latest results, analysis, pictures from second round of the season
The second round of NSWRL Junior Reps action is heating up across the state. Catch up on the latest results and analysis from the Lisa Fiaola, Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions.
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The NSWRL Junior Rep season continues into round two across the four major grades.
We’ll keep you updated with all the latest scores and major events from round one fixtures, plus photos from the weekend as they come to hand.
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Lisa Fiaola Cup - Tarsha Gale Cup - Harold Matthews Cup - SG Ball Cup
LISA FIAOLA CUP
Parramatta is on the board in U17s girls following a 12-4 win over Cronulla.
Leonia Vei proved the difference in a low-scoring affair, crossing in the 17th and 56th minutes to keep the Sharks without a win.
Kahlea Fischer scored minutes into the second half to keep the game within range, before the Eels interchange put it out of reach minutes before the full-time siren.
SIN BINS HURT SOUTHS
Two sin bins have proved costly for South Sydney in a 14-8 defeat to Penrith at Windsor.
After leading 8-0 on the back of tries to Ella Churchill and Kirrawahn Duckett, the Panthers hit back with two of their own while Jessica Brightwell was off the field for a stray forearm to take a 10-8 lead.
Duckett was the next to spend time in the bin in what looked to be an overreacted from the match officials to a high tackle, and the fatigue showed with Georgie Zehra crossing to seal the game in the shadows of full time.
ROOSTERS DOWN TIGERS LATE
The Sydney Roosters were forced to dig deep into their bag of tricks to escape the Wests Tigers 20-18 at Leichhardt.
Leading 14-8 midway through the second half, Lucyannah Luamanu-Leiataua and Alavina Tu’ifua helped the home side to a 10-point advantage inside the final 10.
It was Talea Tonga who stepped up when it counted, posting her double with six minutes remaining to help the Roosters advance to 2-0.
SEA EAGLES THUMP DRAGONS
The Sea Eagles got their Lisa Fiaola season off to a flyer with a commanding 46-4 victory over St George.
On the back of a five-try first half, Manly was always in control at Jubilee Oval on the back of an early Olivia Saley double.
That momentum carried on to the second half as they kept their foot on the pedal, allowing their line to be breached just once in the nine-try demolition.
STEELERS HOLD ON
Illawarra has come away with a two-point victory for the second-straight week, this time on the Central Coast.
The Steelers struck just after halftime through Michala Hardy to take a 12-6 lead over the Roosters.
Mia Vaotuua crossed with 15 minutes to play to keep the visitors on their toes, but just like their win over Souths last week, Illawarra found enough to take home the victory.
CANTERBURY CONTINUES HOT STREAK
The Bulldogs moved to top spot on the Lisa Fiaola ladder with a strong 38-16 defeat of Newcastle at Hammondville Oval.
Coming out of the blocks fast, Canterbury piled on five tries in an action-packed first half that saw them take a 24-10 lead into the sheds on the back of two tries to winger Asha Taumoepeau-Williams.
They were able to kick clear midway through the second half to show why they are rated among the top teams in the division.
TARSHA GALE CUP
Penrith flexed their muscles in a strong 32-4 defeat of South Sydney at Gosford.
Played as a curtain raiser to the NRL trial, the Rabbitohs hit first through Shanelle Lyons, but from that point on it was all Penrith.
Aaliyah Tahu-Apiata and Mackenzie Doust helped the Panthers to a 10-4 halftime lead, and the duo completed their doubles soon after the break to extend that margin to 16.
Kirby Maslin and Jaida Staben confirmed the result late in the contest to emphasise the big win.
SHARKS EASE PAST EELS
Cronulla maintained its perfect start to the season with a comfortable 22-6 victory over Parramatta at Shark Park.
A Manilita Takapautolo double in the space of four minutes helped the Sharks to a 12-0 advantage at the break, that was soon pushed out to 22.
The Eels posted little resistance, with Kalisi Mahe’s four pointer the highlight in a five tries to one defeat.
ROOSTERS RUN RAMPANT
The Roosters made a big statement with a crushing 60-0 win over the Wests Tigers.
Running rampant in the first half with six unanswered tries, they also found themselves an extra player up on the back of Iemaima Etuale spending time in the sin bin.
The Roosters went on with the job in the second half to post another seven tries in the shutout victory.
Sienna-Mae Montgomery and Tyra Ekepati both finished the rout with doubles.
MANLY’S RUTHLESS DOMINANCE
Manly was simply brilliant in a thumping 52-0 defeat of St George.
In their first game of the season the Sea Eagles looked incredible in a 10-try performance capped off with a Krystal Weekes hat-trick and a double to Indiana Russell-Lia.
They starved the Dragons of possession and were led around the park by halves Matisse Bettridge and Danii Nicole Gray in the one-sided display.
UNDERHANDED BULLDOGS SURVIVE
Canterbury survived a four-minute period with just 11 players on the field to scrape past Newcastle 12-6.
Leading 8-6 and with just 15 minutes remaining, the Bulldogs were reduced to 12 women after Isla Talau was marched for 10.
That became 11 when Pauline Suli-Ruka experienced a similar fate, but rather than turn to water, Canterbury were able to post the matchwinning try through Abby Aros to seal the victory.
ILLAWARRA BLITZES CANBERRA
Illawarra launched an incredible first half assault on Canberra to come away from Belconnen with a 36-6 victory.
Chelsea Savill started it and Hope Millard finished an opening 30 minutes that saw them pile on a 30-6 advantage to put the game away.
NRLW prospect Ella Koster put the exclamation mark on the dominant performance to keep the Steelers in a share of top spot.
HAROLD MATHEWS CUP
Manly has ended a 684-day Harold Matthews winless streak in dominant fashion.
Going through the entire 2023 season without a win, the Sea Eagles were almost flawless in a 26-6 thumping of St George at Kogarah.
Manly flew out of the blocks with Max Davies crossing inside the opening four minutes to get their confidence up early.
They then struck twice in quick succession through Dane Woollett and Beau McKee to lead 16-0 in as many minutes.
When bench forward Kaleb Serafin barged over from close range it was as good as over as the Dragons slumped to their second-straight defeat.
Captain Reilly Caswell was part of last year’s team that failed to taste success and said it was a relief to get that elusive victory.
“We’ve needed it to get our morale up,” Caswell said.
“It’s been too long since we’ve had it.
“The boys have put in so much work during the pre-season.
“Where we came from at the start, most of our team came up from dev (U16s development squad) and some of us boys played last year.
“The connections weren’t just there but we’ve just bonded.”
The skipper said a greater focus has been placed on grinding out wins as opposed to the flashy plays that make the headlines.
“We kept on working when we were ahead. That’s what we’re trying to focus on, we try not to get too excited,” he said.
“Last year we got way too excited. We were the highlight team that just got the highlights. We’re just trying to keep our composure and win the game rather than get the highlights.”
PENRITH CLAWS OUT WIN
Penrith has held out South Sydney to the tune of 30-20 in a hotly contested game at Windsor.
The Panthers started hot to lead 10-0 in the opening 10, before the Rabbitohs hit back to level things soon after the break.
A dominant period saw Penrith take full control, and when Jayden Carter crossed they held a commanding 28-10 lead with 13 minutes to play.
Christopher Petrus completed his double to get the visitors back to within eight, but it proved a bridge too far.
EELS POWER PAST SHARKS
Parramatta remained unbeaten after a 34-20 road victory over Cronulla.
First half doubles to Lincoln Fletcher and Samuel Polley inside the opening 20 minutes lifted the visitors to an early 24-4 lead, before the Sharks hit back through Oliver Lester and Elijah Cooper to get back to within eight at the main break.
Jaylen Herron helped cut the margin to just four, but that is as close as they would get with the Eels finishing as they started to consolidate their opening round win over the Warriors.
MAGPIES DENY STORM
Western Suburbs were made to work for it, but eventually overcame a determined Melbourne 44-22 at Kirkham Oval.
The Magpies showed no signs of sluggishness despite an opening round bye, racing out to a 22-6 lead at halftime.
Matthew Kereti and Alipate Vaka helped bridge the margin to just four within six minutes of the second half, before Ashton Large turned it on.
The classy hooker posted a hat-trick in the space of seven minutes to put the match out of reach.
ROOSTERS GET OFF THE MARK
It was a hot start that propelled the Sydney Roosters to a 26-6 Harold Matthews win over Balmain at Leichhardt.
Winger EJ Mahu-Delamere scored the first of his two tries for the afternoon inside the opening five minutes as the visitors looked the goods with a 22-0 halftime lead.
Front rower Zac Khattar was the only Tiger to hit the scoresheet in a good outing for the props, with James Finegan also getting across the line earlier in the game.
KNIGHTS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Newcastle almost pulled off an extraordinary comeback, falling short 24-20 to Canterbury in Cessnock.
The Bulldogs were unstoppable through the opening half as Elijah Tu’ifua and Jope Rauqe posting doubles to help them race out to a 24-6 lead.
Things turned around after the break, with centre Fletcher Sommerville adding two of his own in just seven minutes.
When Jack Thompson crossed it brought the Knights back to within four points with five minutes to play, but they couldn’t muster another to narrowly go down.
CENTRAL COAST CONTINUES CANBERRA WOES
The Central Coast Roosters started their 2024 campaign with a bang, whacking Canberra 38-10 at Morry Breen Oval.
It looked set for a classic battle in the second half with both teams tied at 10 at halftime and the Raiders desperate to pick up their first win after letting it slip against Newcastle in round one.
What eventuated was a procession as the Roosters turned it on with five tries including two to Isaac Fotu-Moala and Jai Callaghan picking up his double.
SG BALL CUP
St George looked every bit the SG Ball contender as they downed Manly 42-10 at Kogarah.
On the back of their confidence boosting win over Penrith last week, Ryan Hutchison sparked an early attacking raid with the forward breaking through the line and finding Brandon Tikinau on the run, before the half drew the fullback to put Tyler Peckham-Harris over untouched.
Cyrus Stanley-Traill powered his way over from close range before a sin bin turned the tide.
Campbell Lyons was sent for 10 for a professional foul, with Alton Naiyep scoring on the next set to take Manly into the sheds down 12-4.
The Dragons didn’t let that stop them in the second half however, racing in two tries with a man off to push their lead out to 18.
With injuries mounting for the Sea Eagles the Dragons were ruthless with Peckham-Harris, Zac Nachar and Jesse Williams completing doubles to seal the contest early.
Captain Shadi Hammoud turned in another fine performance at five-eighth and said
“Last week was a big confidence boost for the whole team,” Hammoud said.
“We worked on the details we needed to at training and it showed today.
“The belief is high. It’s been like that since the start of pre-season. We’ve built great bonds and have full trust in each other.”
In his second season of SG Ball, Hammoud said coach Willie Talau is getting the best out of his game, and credited the year young players in the side for stepping up.
“I’m feeling good and feel like my game is improving. Full credit to the coaching staff and the team, especially Willie,” he said.
“He’s bringing me out of my comfort zone and I’m happy to be part of this team.
“They’re (younger players) all pushing for each other, they’re learning off the boys from last year and everyone is becoming a leader in this team.”
PENRITH BOUNCES BACK
The Panthers recovered from a last-minute round one loss to account for South Sydney 28-10 at Windsor.
After falling to St George the home side came out of the blocks with intent, scoring inside the opening minute through Jenson Tuaoi after the Rabbitohs fumbled the kick-off.
Souths eased into the game and tied things up after Ryan Casey’s try, before Penrith turned the pressure on.
They scored on either side of the break to take full control, with Jett Cleary’s 56th minute try putting them ahead by 22.
STORM HOLDS MAGPIES TO DRAW
Melbourne scored with 20 seconds left on the clock to snatch a 24-all draw with title contenders Wests at Broadmeadows.
The Storm blitzed the Magpies early with Iaone Lui and Harrison Hill crossing inside the opening six minutes, before Wests hit back in style to take an 18-10 lead at the break.
Melbourne again took the lead, before fullback Navren Willett gave the visitors a four-point advantage with 13 minutes to play.
That looked to be enough with time winding down, before Rhylis Hohepa gave them a chance to win the game after scoring in the dying stages.
Tulloch McLellan couldn’t convert, meaning both had to settle for a point.
EELS FINISH TOO STRONG
Parramatta pulled out enough late to overcome Cronulla 28-18 at Shark Park.
The home side enjoyed a dream start with Albert Litisone scoring in the opening minute.
Things settled and the Eels had their first lead at 10-4 through 17 minutes, before the Sharks hit back to again capture the front 18-10.
But in similar fashion to last week, Parramatta showed they can come from behind, finishing the game with a flurry to come out on top.
ILLAWARRA’S BIG COMEBACK
The Steelers have launched a stirring fightback to pick up their second win of the season, downing the winless Canberra 42-18.
The Raiders came out firing after their heavy defeat to Newcastle, racing out to an 18-4 lead shortly before the break.
That’s when future NRL prospect Hayden Buchanan stepped up, posting a hat-trick as Illawarra came up with seven unanswered tries to race away with a big win in the end.
FIELD GOAL LIFTS ROOSTERS
Toby Rodwell proved the hero for the Roosters as they avoided a mighty scare to down Balmain 13-12.
Coming into the game as hot favourites, a two-try first half from Baxter Warner would only see them hold a slender two-point lead at the break.
The two sides traded blows and Levi Gwynne-Tuitahi helped Balmain to tie things up inside the final 20 minutes.
Things looked destined for a draw if not for the boot of Rodwell, who slotted a field goal in the final seconds to snatch the win.
CANTERBURY DENIES NEWCASTLE LATE
A 68th minute try to Sosaia Alatini helped Canterbury deny Newcastle 28-26 in a thrilling encounter in Cessnock.
The two sides traded blows like prize-fighters throughout an enthralling contest as the Knights led by eight at the break.
Alatini scored his first of the afternoon shortly after the break and another to Logan Spinks helped them edge clear 18-16 with 20 minutes remaining.
From there they went try-for-try as the Knights again took a 26-24 advantage with less than three minutes to play, before Alatini’s second proved the decisive blow.
WARRIORS MAKE HOME STATEMENT
The New Zealand Warriors made full use of their home ground advantage with a crushing 48-12 defeat of North Sydney in Pukekohe.
Despite losing centre Tyreece Arama in the opening 10 minutes, the Bears held with the home side throughout the first half to trail just 16-6.
The second half was a different story as the Warriors raced in six tries to back up their strong round one performance and show they’re in the mix this season.
Winger Rapheal Sio scored a double in the win. The Warriors will play their last five games of the season at home as they look to create a fortress at their Pukekohe base.
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