How to live stream Harold Matthews, SG Ball, Tarsha Gale Cup | NSW Rugby League (NSWRL Junior Reps )
It’s game on for a new generation of rugby league stars in the Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions. Check out the players to watch and how to live stream the matches.
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It’s kick-off time for the state’s best junior rugby league talent with a new generation of stars ready to make their mark in the Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball competitions, launching this weekend.
The Daily Telegraph will exclusively livestream a match of the round, beginning from Saturday. Check out the top players to watch in each competition.
SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL LIVE STREAM SCHEDULE
TARSHA GALE CUP
JORDYN PRESTON (Illawarra Steelers)
Her coach describes her as a player with “no fear” and “deceptive strength”, Illawarra Steeler Jordyn Preston is a classy outside back who knows how to find the try line. The Shellharbour junior and Blues under-19s representative is an explosive centre that dominated the Tarsha Gale ranks last season. The NRLW Dragons Development player is a youngster who looks set for a big future.
CHLOE BOSTON (Cronulla Sharks)
Chloe Boston was a try-scoring machine for the Cronulla Sharks last year. This season she will be donning the No.1 jersey and is expected to lead this season with her knowledge and experience. Tough, strong and determined, Boston is a coach’s dream because she never stops working.
TAYLA MONTGOMERY (Sydney Roosters)
Roosters’ halfback and skipper Tayla Montgomery is undoubtedly one of the best in the competition. Her organisation of the side charged the Roosters to the Grand Final in 2021. The Central Coast product and NRLW development contract player is becoming a familiar name, stepping onto the field for her third Tarsha Gale season this year. Her coach Blake Cavallaro describes her as “way above her years in terms of footy IQ”.
IESHA DUCKETT (Sydney Roosters)
Local to the eastern suburbs Iesha Duckett was born to wear a Roosters jersey. The ball-playing lock forward is a real workhorse and leads from the front. Some might say she’s a throwback to the old days. Running on for NSW city and training with the Indigenous All Stars in 2021, will be a key figure in the Roosters Tarsha Gale Cup side after being named co-captain.
HAROLD MATTS
ZACH FITTLER (Sydney Roosters)
The son of NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler will take the field for the Sydney Roosters in the opening round of the Harold Matthews competition. Already as tall as his famous father and weighing in at 105kg, the 15-year-old Fittler will play in the back-row and is said to display similar power, speed and side step as the former Roosters captain.
BLAIZE TALAGI (Parramatta Eels)
A talented five-eighth who featured in Parramatta Eels’ loss in last year’s Harold Matthews grand final. Widely tipped as an exciting junior prospect. A student at Westfields Sports High, Talagi was selected as part of the NSW City under-16 team last year where he was awarded player of the match.
JERMAINE MCEWEN (Penrith Panthers)
Another rising product from the Penrith Panthers junior nursery, the talented teenager is expected to be a handful for the mountain men this season. The lock forward is mobile and a strong ball runner, with the ability to play in the outside backs. Last year McEwen was selected to join Penrith’s Junior Elite Training Scheme, which has previously included players such as Nathan Cleary.
KIT LAULILII (Wests Magpies)
The captain of a talented Wests Magpies’ Harold Matthews team, lock forward Kit Laulilii is tipped to be one of the stronger players in the competition. After missing most of last season due to injury, the tough middle forward is expected to lead the Magpies well.
SG BALL CUP
LATU FAINU (Manly)
One of the most highly touted junior players coming through the ranks, five-eighth Latu Fainu has been described as a special player by those at Manly. The playmaker led the Sea Eagles to an undefeated Harold Matthews premiership last season and was named Player of the Series, and is ready to make the step up to SG Ball. Fainu, who has agreed to a four-year contract with Manly, produced four tries, 16 try assists, 10 line-breaks, 14 line break- assists and seven offloads in a stellar Harold Matthews season.
LARRY MUAGUTUTIA (Parramatta Eels)
Described as a Junior Paulo-Nathan Brown hybrid, the Eels front row forward is a handful with the ball with typically three defenders required to bring him down. A big, strong middle forward with tackle-busting ability, Muagututia is on the radar of those at the Eels as a long-term prospect.
MYLES MARTIN (Knights)
Hailing from Bathurst, the hard-working lock forward Myles Martin has been head-hunted by the Newcastle Knights and will lace up the boots in round one. Was with Parramatta last season and played for Patrician Brothers Blacktown in the NRL Schoolboys Cup. In 2019, he was selected in the Australian Schoolboys under-15 merit squad.
JUSTIN MATAMUA (Wests Magpies)
A powerful lock-forward with the ability to shake off defenders with ease, Matmua is one of the most dangerous players in the competition. A part of the Future Blues squad selected in December following a man of the match performance for the NSW City under-18s team.
HOW TO WATCH NEXT GENERATION OF RUGBY LEAGUE STARS
The next generation of rugby league superstars will be streamed live across The Daily Telegraph for the first time, giving fans a rare glimpse of the talented teenagers taking their first steps towards a professional career.
Three junior elite representative rugby league matches, including a match from the under-17 Harold Matthews Cup, under-19 SG Ball Cup and under-19 female Tarsha Gale Cup, will be broadcast each Saturday following a deal with NSW Rugby League.
The nine-round competitions, plus finals, include Sydney’s most powerful and historic rugby league clubs such as the Sydney Roosters, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, North Sydney Bears and Western Suburbs Magpies.
The first five weeks of The Daily Telegraph livestream schedule will feature: Canberra Raiders, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Parramatta Eels, Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Newcastle Knights, North Sydney Bears, Western Suburbs Magpies, Wests Tigers and Illawarra Steelers.
News Corp managing director News Sport Network Michael Wilkins said the partnership provided an opportunity for rugby league fans to get a close look at the future of their clubs.
“We are thrilled to partner with the NSWRL to live stream the pick of its underage action across our digital platforms in 2022,” Wilkins said.
“The Harold Matthews Cup and SG Ball Cup have long been breeding grounds for the NRL stars of tomorrow and our coverage will again showcase these young guns.
“We are also proud to broadcast the Tarsha Gale Cup, as we shine a light on the NRLW’s emerging female talents and underline News Corp Australia’s ongoing commitment to women’s and girls’ sport.”
For the Parramatta Eels, it may have been 36 years since an NRL premiership but the club has won 19 junior premierships in the same period.
The western Sydney region has historically been the most dominant club in junior circles, collecting 20 Harold Matthews Cup titles and 12 SG Ball Cup titles across its history.
The most recent winners of the elite junior competitions are Canberra Raiders (SG Ball Cup), Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (Harold Matthews Cup) and St George Dragons (Tarsha Gale Cup).
LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE
Round 1 (Feb 5):
11am – Canberra Raiders v Illawarra Steelers (Tarsha Gale)
12:30pm – Canberra Raiders v Manly Sea Eagles (Harold Matts)
2pm – Canberra Raiders v Manly Sea Eagles (SG Ball)
Round 2 (Feb 12):
10:30am – Parramatta Eels v Canterbury Bulldogs (Tarsha Gale)
12pm – Parramatta Eels v Canterbury Bulldogs (Harold Matts)
1.30pm – Parramatta Eels v Canterbury Bulldogs (SG Ball)
Round 3 (Feb 19):
12pm – South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newcastle Knights (Tarsha Gale)
1.30pm – South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newcastle Knights (Harold Matts)
3pm – South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newcastle Knights (SG Ball)
RABBITOHS EXPAND ITS FOOTBALL FAMILY
A group of young and enthusiastic female faces are primed to be part of the Rabbitohs’ inaugural Tarsha Gale Cup under-19 team.
The female junior representative competition, which will have a match a round livestreamed on The Daily Telegraph, will launch on Saturday with the cardinal and myrtle to take on the Canterbury Bulldogs at Belmore Oval at 10am.
The team will be captained by halfback Kasey Taaffe, 17, the cousin of NRL flyer Blake Taafe, with Yillara Widders, daughter of 219-game NRL veteran Dean Widders, also part of the elite squad.
Widders, 17, said being a part of the Tarsha Gale Cup squad was an opportunity which was non-existent for the older female rugby league players she once admired from the stands.
“There was no pathway before,” Widders said. “They always say ‘you’re lucky, you have a pathway now’.”
The talented teenager said her dad was a key influence on her career.
“With my dad and uncle playing I just grew up around rugby league and I get a lot of my knowledge from them,” she said. “They teach me what I have to do as they’ve done it. They push me and make sure I do what I’ve got to do to make it.”
Kasey Taaffe, who has indigenous heritage like Yillara, said it was a “massive honour” to be the inaugural captain of the Rabbitohs’ Tarsha Gale Cup side.
“It is really special,” Taaffe said. “Being a part of the first Tarsha Gale Cup team for Souths is a huge accomplishment. A lot of teams haven’t seen us play before so it will be good to be the underdogs. It is exciting.”
Blake Taaffe, who is not only Kasey’s cousin but next-door neighbour, said he was pleased to the rising playing numbers across women’s rugby league at all levels, and hoped to see more female teams at Souths in coming years.
“It is all great signs going forward and I can’t wait to see what happens in the coming years.”
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