NSWRL Juniors Reps Finals Week 1: Team of the week, talking points, full results from week one
With the opening weekend of NSWRL Junior Reps finals in the book, we rate the best 17 players across all grades, plus check out the 12 talking points from the weekend and the round two schedule.
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HERE is the team of the week from the first week of NSWRL Junior Reps finals, featuring the best 17 players across the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Tarsha Gale Cup.
1. Heath Mason (Magpies SG Ball)
2. Kyle Colburn (Knights SG Ball)
3. Charlotte Barwick (Knights Tarsha Gale)
4. Mia-Rose Walsh (Steelers Tarsha Gale)
5. Apa Twidle (Eels SG Ball)
6. Ethan Sanders (Eels SG Ball)
7. Mitchell Woods (Bulldogs Harold Matthews)
8. Mikayel Tito (Eels Harold Matthews)
9. Malachi Smith (Knights SG Ball)
10. Itula Seve (Bulldogs Harold Matthews)
11. Jezaiah Funa-Iuta (Eels Harold Matthews)
12. Keisha Johnston (Knights Tarsha Gale)
13. Charlie Guymer (Eels SG Ball)
14. Lilly-Ann White (Knights Tarsha Gale)
15. Mark Williams (Eels Harold Matthews)
16. Lachlan Bush (Magpies SG Ball)
17. Christopher Makhlouf (Bulldogs Harold Matthews)
12 TALKING POINTS
WITH the first round of the NSWRL junior reps finals in the book, it’s time to look at the major headlines from the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Tarsha Gale Cup weekend.
DESPERATE DEFENCE LIFTS EELS
Parramatta was there to be beaten in the Harold Matthews against Cronulla.
There were times where the Sharks were camped on their line, throwing everything they had at them.
It saw them held up over the line mulitple times, with the scramble defence of the middle forwards and fullback Corey Leigh shining throughout the day.
It kept them in the game when it was on the line.
FORWARDS FIND THEIR FRONT
When they were able to get a roll on, the big Parramatta forward pack proved very hard for the Sharks to contain.
Mikayel Tito and Jordan Uta regularly got the Eels on the front foot and moving in their sets, with Ocean Vaivela and Mark Williams bringing that intensity for the bench.
Tito was rewarded with the crucial try after 45 minutes.
A STAR IS BORN
Lilly-Ann White, take a bow.
The Knights fullback put on a clinic in her side’s Tarsha Gale Cup win over the Raiders.
She was setting up tries, scoring them and saving them, all in a night’s work.
Every time she touched the ball she looked dangerous, and her presence in a stacked side give the Knights a chance at causing an upset in the prelim.
CAPTAIN’S KNOCK FROM OLLERTON
Leah Ollerton has odone a great job in the hooking role for Newcastle this year, and her leadership continues to grow.
The captain really used her forwards to great effect on Saturday, a big reason why the Knights were able to win the middle and ultimately the game.
Sophia Dungay and Cheyenne Baker formed a good tandem, while Keisha Johnston was outstanding on an edge.
SMITH CLINICAL IN SG BALL
There was something about Newcastle dummy halves and starring at Campbelltown.
Malachi Smith turned in a man of the match performance in the SG Ball against the Roosters, helping them overcome a disstrous start to win comfortably.
He scored two tries through sheer desire, simply getting to the spot quicker than his opponents, and had a hand in others on the night.
Keep an eye on him coming through the grades, because that was a sctinillating effort.
WINGERS PUT ON A SHOW
We take for granted just how athletic wingers are in the modern era.
We’re used to seeing them fly through the air with incredible put downs in the NRL, and that is translating into the junior reps.
Kyle Colburn (Newcastle) and Siaosi Kaliti (Roosters) impressed with some remarkable efforts to touch down for their teams, making the highlight reels with their acrobatics.
PARRA’S DROPOUTS HIT THE SPOT
Parramatta finished Wests’ season in the SG Ball, but it may have been an entirely different result if not for a healthy mix of precision and nous.
Down 4-0 and camped on their own goal line at the start of the second half. On two occasions the Eels recovered short dropouts, worming their way out of trouble to post the next try.
MASON’S BLINDER GOES UNREWARDED
After their narrow SG Ball defeat, Magpies fans couldn’t help but feel for talented fullback Heath Mason.
Scoring both his side’s tries, including a scorching effort from a kick return, the Junior Blues star had a blinder. And with his one-on-one try saving tackle on Eels flyer Devonte Vaivela, there was little else the whiz in the headgear could have done.
YOUNG GUNS TO RETURN BIGGER AND BETTER
Despite bowing out, eight players from Wests’ SG Ball line-up featured in last season’s premiership winning Harold Matts side. Still eligible for the under-19s next season, the Magpies are once again expected to be a finals force.
RAIDERS AND BULLDOGS JOINED AT THE HIP
With identical for-and-against records heading into the Harold Matts finals, it was no surprise to see Canberra and Canterbury neck and neck as the finish line loomed at Campbelltown Stadium.
Locked at 18-all with 11 minutes on the clock, after 10 weeks of parity, it was the Raiders who blinked first, allowing the Bulldogs to sneak home in a thriller.
WOODS’ COMPOSURE PERFECT FOR FINALS
Ice cool under pressure, Mitchell Woods’ field goal secured Canterbury’s win in the Harold Matts.
The skipper and playmaker is central to everything the young Bulldogs do. And it was his guile and leadership in the closing stages that stood out as he positioned his teammates for the knockout blow.
STEELERS FIND THEIR STEEL
Illawarra’s reward for ending Parramatta’s Tarsha Gale Cup season is another clash against the unbeaten Bulldogs.
When the sides last met in round six, the Steelers conceded seven unanswered tries. In the four games since, Illawarra have raised the bar and only conceded six four-pointers. With the same steel, a major boilover might just be on the cards.
FINALS WEEK ONE WRAP
FINALS time for the NSWRL junior reps season is here.
Stay up to date with the latest results as they come to hand with our full wrap of the first week of finals action from Campbelltown Stadium.
NEWCASTLE RECOVERS TO EASE PAST ROOSTERS
Newcastle turned it on with 29 unanswered points to send them into the SG Ball preliminary finals with a 35-10 defeat of the Sydney Roosters.
It was a dream start for the Roosters, marching up the field and allowing Cassius Tia to put in an attacking grubber, which was grounded Hayden Barton inside two minutes.
The Knights regrouped and struck back in thrilling fashion, with a flashing Malachi Smith getting on the end of a lovely Jye Linnane grubber to tie the scores.
Both teams settled into the grind, before a nice cutout from Tia and quick hands from Cade Mellon saw a diving Siaosi Kaliti touch down in the corner.
Newcastle then returned the favour immediately after in the opposite corner, with a flick pass from Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana allowing Kyle Colburn to dive his way over and tie things up at 10-all.
High contact from Selsi Foketi gave the Knights a gift in front of the posts, with the boot of Ethan Ferguson giving them their first lead of the night.
That momentum continued to roll, with Fletcher Sharpe slicing his way across field and putting a perfect cutout on the chest of Colburn to cross for his second and stretch the lead to 18-10.
Ferguson almost produced a miracle play on the last tackle of the half, getting onto a Linnane grubber off a scrum, only for Zac Safarti to hold him up and drag him over the touch in-goal line.
Not long after the break Barton looked destined to score, before Smith came up with an incredible trysaver to force the ball loose.
They made them pay down the other end, with a quick pass from Sharpe to Taj Blackman getting them across the line once again.
That lead was extended out to 30-10 with 20 minutes remaining after Smith crossed for his second, after he regained his own grubber right on the line.
The Roosters desperately needed a spark and thought they had it with Kade Maguire near the line, but Colburn had other ideas with a brutal front-on tackle that forced him out.
The icing on the cake came five minutes from time, with a Smith chip landing in the lap of Colburn to bring up a hat-trick with another flying dive out wide, before Ferguson added the cherry on top with a field goal.
KNIGHTS SURGE PAST RAIDERS
The Newcastle Knights turned in a gritty performance to outgun the Raiders 16-6 in the Tarsha Gale Cup.
Newcastle had all the early running, and turned that into points in the fifth minute as Lilly-Ann White surged into a gap, and found Charlotte Barwick with an around-the-back pass to get them on the board.
They looked poised to extend that lead in the 12th minute through a charging Keisha Johnston, only to be denied by a one-on-one steal from Lola Fletcher.
A break from Evie Jones split the Raiders once again, before a desperate Georgia Willey tackle stopped her metres from the line.
The Knights punished them the next play however, with White scoring to go with her assist from earlier and push the lead out to 10-0.
In the shadows of halftime, Canberra looked to have Newcastle stretched deep on their line, before a spilt ball ended blew a golden opportunity.
Georgia Willey dived over from dummy half with the last play of the half, but was held up in a strong tackle from Barwick.
They continued that form into the second half and posted their first points of the evening with a powerful run from Beth Loco close to the line to bring the margin back to four.
It was soon restored back to 10 however, as Cheyenne Baker barged her way over from near the line to wrestle back momentum for the Knights.
That’s where the scoring ended, as Newcastle did enough over the final 20 minutes to solidify their spot in the preliminary final.
BULLDOGS REPEL RAIDERS’ CHARGE
Canterbury-Bankstown have returned to form in style to outlast Canberra 25-18 in an enthralling Harold Matthews Cup eliminator.
Coming off a 52-6 last start thumping to Penrith, the Bulldogs showed they were in no mood for self pity, racing in three tries inside the opening 13 minutes.
Christopher Makhlouf threaded through Canberra’s left edge and was quickly followed across the stripe by skipper Mitchell Woods and backrower Solomone Tupou.
Unfortunately for Canterbury, Woods couldn’t buy a goal and when the Raiders did strike back, they only had a six-point buffer to show for their first half dominance.
James Croker found his way over the line just minutes after the restart, and with the fullback’s four-pointer converted by Braydan Darmody, Canberra found themselves back on level terms at 12-all.
In a seesawing epic, the side’s traded further tries and with 10 minutes remaining it was anyone’s contest.
In the end, powerhouse prop Itula Seve tipped the contest Canterbury’s way, crashing over under the posts before Mitchell put the result beyond doubt with a late field goal.
STEELERS POWER PAST EELS IN DOMINANT SECOND HALF
With a dominant second half performance the Illawarra Steelers have marched a step closer to a grand final berth with a comfortable 20-4 win over Parramatta in the Tarsha Gale Cup.
In an end-to-end first 30 minutes, both sides headed to the sheds with one try apiece.
Regular Eels try-sneak Alysha Bell was first on the scoresheet, and Parramatta held their 4-0 advantage for the majority of the first stanza.
Looking the more dangerous of the two sides, Illawarra were finally rewarded when centre Mia-rose Walsh crossed for a slashing try in the right corner.
And they quickly doubled their score through Brody Preston upon the resumption.
Leading 12-4, the Steelers went on with the job to round out a convincing performance with further four-pointers to Shaye Shipton and Jayla Commins.
It was a difficult way for Parramatta to finish their season after they held Illawarra to a draw in the early rounds.
EELS EDGE OUT MAGPIES IN SG BALL THRILLER
Parramatta are one win away from a spot in the SG Ball Cup grand final after coming from behind to defeat Western Suburbs 18-10 in an elimination final at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday.
Both teams had their chances, but in a shootout of the star fullbacks it was Apa Twidle who stepped up for the Eels, overcoming a weight of possession with two second half tries.
“It’s a special win, especially after our disappointing first half where we let ourselves down with silly penalties and poor discipline,” he said of Wests’ 4-0 halftime advantage.
“But in the second half, we just stuck to our one percenters and tried to kick early and play down their end.”
Originally from New Zealand and a former student of Brisbane’s Marsden State High, Twidle paid tribute to his opposite, Heath Mason, whose sizzling 80m solo effort put Wests in the box seat with 20 minutes to play.
“Full credit to Mason, he's the gun and his double really hurt us,” he said.
Wests dominated the majority of possession and field position in the second half, and after Twidle sliced through for his first it was only spirited goal line defence that kept the Eels within reach.
It was rugged upfront, and Eels enforcer Raffaele De Stradis had his day cut short following a brutal collision with Magpies prop Metuisela Taungatua.
But the Eels didn’t waiver and when the opportunity presented itself, Twidle was on the spot to race away for the match winner.
“We held them out for so long, and when we made a half break I just pushed up and was lucky that Ethan Sanders could put me away,” the 18-year-old said of Parra’s reliable half.
Twidle’s double put the Eels up by two, before Matthew Arthur crashed over in the final minute to secure the side’s trip to next week’s grand final qualifier.
DEFENCE LIFTS EELS TO MATTS SUCCESS
Parramatta turned in its best defensive performance of the season to advance into week two of the Harold Matthews Cup finals.
They routinely held a determined Cronulla side away, going on to claim an 18-4 victory.
An opening flurry saw both sides get within inches of crossing the line inside the first five minutes, with some resolute defence standing solid.
That changed in the 12th minute however, with Eels hooker Zaidas Muagututia scooting out of dummy half, putting Corey Leigh into a gaping hole, who in turn drew the last line of defence to put Fagalele Fagaele over under the posts.
The Sharks looked destined to hit back just minutes later through Beau Watson who beautifully cut back on an angle close to the line, only for a desperate trysaver from Mikayel Tito denying him by centimetres.
They scored the very next play however, with Leigh unable to rein in an Oliver Lester grubber, with Xavier Singh on the spot to touch down and bring them back to 6-4.
A pair of dropped balls from both sides gave Cronulla the chance to work their way downfield again, with Lester earning a repeat set from his boot.
They were unable to make them pay, with the deficit remaining at two heading into the sheds.
Early momentum for the Sharks saw them go close to scoring right after the break, only for Leigh to stop Blake Wardrobe.
The pressure continued as a huge burst from Thomas Dellow saw the big forward bust through the line, as Cronulla followed it up with another repeat set.
From the ensuing set Alex Challenor was held up over the line, before a scrappy last play saw them lose possession.
The tide turned for the Eels, as they finally got deep into Cronulla territory, earning a golden opportunity after Nikora Williams fumbled a Lorenzo Talataina kick.
A barnstorming Tito was held up by Challenor, with Jordan Uta experiencing the same fate two plays later.
Big Tito couldn’t be denied on the very next tackle, spinning through a tackle to open up a very handy 12-4 lead with 13 minutes remaining.
Cronulla had their chances to hit back, but their last throw of the dice was thwarted, as Mark Williams charged down a Lester kick to race 70m down the field to get the Eels on the front foot, with Jezaiah Funa-Iuta crossing soon after to seal the result.
Nikora Williams had a brain snap after the try was awarded, throwing Aiden Kebourian to the ground and being sent to the sin bin to conclude the game.
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