SG Ball: Jack Cole scores a double to keep Penrith’s finals dream alive
Country kid Jack Cole scored a double against Balmain to keep Penrith in the race for the finals in Round 6 of the SG Ball Cup.
NRL
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He lives 201 kilometres from Penrith and only trains on Friday nights, but Jack Cole has kept the SG Ball Panthers’ finals dream alive.
The tough five-eighth, who lives in Orange, scored two tries to secure Penrith’s 26-22 win over the Balmain Tigers on Saturday.
Panthers SG Ball coach Jono Rolfe praised Cole and halfback Keagan Russell-Smith for seizing control of the second half.
“They took leadership, owned that game and iced it with a couple of individual efforts,” Rolfe said. “Jack is a tough runner ... I only see (Cole) for about half an hour on a Friday night, most clubs you’d have the player for a week. Keagan has a great skill set, footwork and pass selection. He’s got a touch footy background, so has a silky touch.”
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Rolfe praised his side for stepping up without usual stalwarts Connor Mason, Sunita Lotoaniu, Tyreece Tonga who recently pushed up to Jersey Flegg.
“It was a bit of a must-win, there’s only three games and semis are coming up” Rolfe said.
Tigers’ prop Fonua Pole was a standout in both attack and defence.
“He’s a superstar in the making, I’ve never seen a front rower that age have that frame and that conditioning,” Tigers SG Ball coach Scott Kenna said.
“He leads our conditioning and he’s a front rower. He’s someone to watch for sure.”
It was always going to be tough for Balmain — eight of their best players are out due to injury.
But the Tigers have, however, been able to blood young cubs in preparation for 2022. Kids like Cayne Nicholas, who came on for the last few minutes and scored, have embraced their opportunities.
“Cayne was our 19th man,” Kenna said. “We lost one in the warm up, so then he became a concussion sub. Then we lost one to concussion, so he came on.
“He’s a workaholic, trains really hard, just competes at everything. I didn’t expect him to play a game this year.”
Around the grounds, Parramatta pulled off an incredible upset, beating ladder leaders Raiders 47-24 in Queanbeyan. The Roosters, Sea Eagles, Steelers and Dragons also secured wins.
HAROLD MATTS CUP
The young Panthers continued their winning streak, overcoming the Tigers 26-18 at St Marys Leagues Stadium.
Latrelle Leota — a relative of Penrith NRL star Moses Leota — shone with an impressive shot and four-pointer.
Tigers fullback Cameron Kanaan showed plenty of grit, crashing over twice and bolting 80 metres to make a brilliant try-saving tackle.
Around the grounds, Manly captain Josh Feledy scored an outrageous six tries — yes, six tries — in his side’s 40-0 demolition of Newcastle.
The tough centre recorded a total of 24 points, as the Sea Eagles secured their fifth consecutive win of the season. Manly and Penrith both remain undefeated and sit firmly on top of the table. The sides will eventually tee off in Round 8 at Brookvale and it’s bound to be a cracker.
Cronulla and Illawarra couldn’t be separated and finished locked up on 28-28. Illawarra’s Sean Trindle and Cronulla’s Talanoa Penitani both bagged doubles in the tight contest. North Sydney, Parramatta and the Central Coast Roosters also recorded victories in Round 6.
TARSHA GALE CUP
It was tries galore for the Steelers, Knights and Dragons. Illawarra’s Teagan Berry simply cannot be tamed — the Dragon’s NRLW star scored a triple to spearhead her side’s 44-4 win over the Sharks. Knights Alyssa Shoulders, Lexi Beagan and Sophie Clancy each snatched doubles in Newcastle’s 46-12 victory over Wests. Nine Dragons crossed in their 48-8 thrashing of the Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy.
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