Watch replay: Tarsha Gale Cup Round 1 Illawarra Steelers v Canberra Raiders

The Illawarra Steelers have overcome the Canberra Raiders in an entertaining Tarsha Gale Cup opening round fixture. WATCH THE REPLAY.

A second-half hat trick to Illawarra Steelers hooker and captain Salma Nour has proven to be the difference in a see-sawing battle against the Canberra Raiders in the opening round of the under-19 Tarsha Gale Cup.

WATCH THE REPLAY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.

The Illawarra-based team travelled south to Belconnen Oval in the ACT and were immediately on the back foot when the home team’s strike right centre Georgia Willey exploded off a right foot step to race away and score in the 5th minute.

Not to be outdone, Steelers right centre Jordyn Preston latched onto a classy ball from halfback Sian Allen to skip through a hole untouched to score in the 8th minute.

Illawarra Steelers captain Salma Nour scored a second half hat rick against Canberra.

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A dangerous attacking movement by the Raiders on the left edge was finished by second rower Maata Alai Kokeni on the sideline in the 14th minute only for the Steelers to hit back almost immediately thanks to a long distance individual effort by fullback Annabel McDonald.

The Steelers hit the lead for the first time in the match in the 20th minute after a quick shift to the right saw Preston find space to accelerate to the tryline in an impressive 40m effort.

The halftime score read 14-10 to the Steelers.

The Canberra-based team began the second half fast with a class kick into the corner winning early field position, leading to centre Roxy Horne latching onto the ball to race away to score and take the lead back.

Nour and Illawarra made the best possible start to their Tarsha Gale campaigns.

In the 38th minute Steelers centre Preston juggled the ball in attack before unselfishly passing to unmarked winger Lilli O’Dea who put the ball down for the away team to once more regain the lead, only to have Horne score her second for the Raiders minutes later and snatch it back.

With a number of tiring defenders across the field, Steelers hooker Nour took control and crossed for a hat trick of tries inside 14 minutes to guide the team to a pleasing 36 - 22 victory.

MATCH PREVIEW BELOW

They might be a raw outfit with a stripped back approach, but that has not snuffed out the fire in the belly of the Illawarra Tarsha Gale Cup side.

It will be a Steelers side that barely resembles the team that took the competition by storm last season, before they fell agonisingly short of a grand final berth.

But it is a side that will not lack belief or effort, according to coach Alicia Hawke.

The reinvigoration of the Steelers will be a key storyline in The Daily Telegraph’s opening live stream of the NSW Rugby League season as they travel to Belconnen to take on the Raiders.

The match is included in the Telegraph’s season-long commitment to bring fans the match of the round in the Tarsha Gale Cup this year.

Hawke said a change in personnel in the off-season meant the Steelers had almost hit the reset button on their on-field style.

“We actually have the biggest change to our team that we have had over the past three or four years,” Hawke said.

“Given a lot of our players were the top age last season, we have seen them move on to the next level and we have had a lot of young girls come in. As a lot of other teams are finding with the impacts of Covid, those young girls have had zero football for the past two years.

“A lot are coming in as beginners because they haven’t had a lot of those fundamentals taught to them. The thing is we are seeing a lot of good growth and I am really happy with the work ethic. We have put a lot of focus around efforts and the specific fundamentals.

“There will be a shift in our style. We will strip it right back, but there are a few things that are non-negotiable and that is around effort rather than skill.”

Steelers captain Salma Nour, who has gone to the next level after a pre-season in the Dragons NRLW ranks, has been handed the on field reins to guide the next generation of players coming through.

Nour is in her fourth year in the Tarsha Gale Cup ranks, but Hawke said her experience as an NRLW development player had given her the perspective to help motivate the side.

“We have had our (squad) leaders go back to the basics as well,” Hawke said. “Showing girls how to transition from one drill to the next.

“They are also looking after them off the field. It was hard for everyone getting out of lockdown last year and we had them doing little check ins with the young players. That group is massively expected to step up this season.

“When (Salma) comes back to Tarsha Gale she is able to guide the young ones. She has an understanding being the young one going into the NRLW. Sometimes when you have been in a system for so long, it is easy to forget how hard it is at the start. But she gets it.”

Originally published as Watch replay: Tarsha Gale Cup Round 1 Illawarra Steelers v Canberra Raiders