Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Top-10 talking points from round one
There were fast starts, epic comebacks and telepathic connections. Check out the top-10 talking points from round one of the Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cups.
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The regional junior representative competitions kicked off with a bang over the weekend as round one of the Andrew Johns (under-16) and Laurie Daley (under-18) Cup competitions took place across the state.
There were blistering starts, epic comebacks and huge moments as the next generation of rugby league stars battled it out.
Check out 10 of the top talking points from round one.
FAST STARTS SET THE TONE
In what was the first round of the regional rep season, some teams got off to incredibly fast starts as they came out of the blocks firing.
None were better than the Illawarra South Coast Dragons in their Johns Cup clash with Western.
After the Dragons’ kick-off found green space and took a wicked bounce, the team managed to regather the ball. They wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with lock Callum Cooney crashing over three plays later to score after just 26 seconds.
It was a similar story in the Daley Cup as Western put down a Dragons bomb in the very first set of the game, which allowed lock Cruz King to clean up the scraps and plant the ball down after just 62 seconds.
That wasn’t all for early points, with the North Coast Bulldogs getting in on the action against the Knights in the Daley Cup.
Showing great anticipation, Bulldogs’ lock Rave Brazier pulled off an excellent chargedown in the first set to give his side the ball on the Knights’ line.
In the next play the ball found its way out to halfback Toby Batten, who powered his way over for the first try of the match after just 70 seconds.
BULLDOGS PULL OFF EPIC COMEBACK
The season might only be one round old but the North Coast Bulldogs have put in a contender for comeback of the season after their thrilling 30-28 win over the Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights in the Daley Cup.
Trailing 24-6 at halftime, the Dogs flipped the script after the break, running in four tries to one to pip the Knights by just two points.
Highly rated five-eighth Rielly Laverty was the star of the show for the North Coast side, first setting up Zayne Shutes with a clever grubber before scoring the final two tries himself to seal the win.
Halfback Toby Batten was also strong for the Bulldogs, with his perfect five from five with the boot ultimately proving to be the difference.
MOMENTUM THE KEY IN HEAT
The Bulldogs’ win was a prime example of how important momentum was, especially with early-season junior reps games being played in stifling heat.
The North Coast’s four tries in 21 minutes came after the Knights ran in four of their own in the first 26 minutes, including two in back-to-back sets.
That wasn’t the only game with wild twists and turns.
In the Johns Cup clash between the Central Coast Roosters and Northern Tigers in Tamworth, the Tigers took a 12-4 lead into the break before the Roosters took control of the second half.
On the back of lots of possession and field position, the Central Coast scored four tries in 10 minutes – including crossing for three tries in consecutive sets – to complete a 34-12 victory.
LARDNER TAKES EARLY LEAD
Central Coast Roosters centre Allan Lardner has taken an early lead in the race to be the regional rep comps’ top tryscorer after claiming a hat-trick against the Northern Tigers in the Johns Cup.
The powerful ballrunner showed plenty of speed and strength on the left edge as he scored in the seventh, 39th and 55th minutes to cap off a fantastic start to the season.
He wasn’t the only one to cross the stripe more than once, with Titans’ duo Jay Walpole and Kai Saric, Macarthur’s Terowie Golding-Lyons and Oscar Jenkins, North Coast’s Rielly Laverty, Northern Tigers’ Jayden Seckold and Knights’ pair Chayce Afa and Talen Balcombe all bagging doubles to kick off the year.
TWINS’ BACKYARD FOOTY CONNECTION
Growing up playing footy together for as long as they can remember, Illawarra South Coast Dragons twins Lexin and Rhys O’Dea have always had an unspoken connection on the field.
And on Saturday they showed that off in their Daley Cup win over the Western Rams with a play straight out of the backyard.
Attacking down the left edge midway through the first half, halfback Lexin found his back-rower brother Rhys with a nice short ball before wrapping around the outside to collect the offload, evade the Rams defenders and score.
It proved to be a good day out for the family, with Lexin coming up with an assist and Rhys crossing for a try of his own as the Dragons ran out 34-8 winners.
KNIGHTS’ DEADLY COMBINATION
Speaking of impressive combinations, the Knights look to have found one in the form of five-eighth Kyran Blair and winger Talen Balcombe in the Daley Cup.
With pinpoint accurate kicking, Blair helped set up three tries by going to Balcombe’s right-hand side.
The winger showed excellent hands and great awareness to stay in the field of play to bag a double while also setting up centre Ronan Hill for a try.
PROP’S CRUEL 100M CALL
The Knights were also nearly responsible for the highlight of the weekend in the Johns Cup.
Up 16-4 in the 42nd minute in its clash with the North Coast Bulldogs, the Knights were defending their line when prop Oliver Lawrence shot out of the line to take a dramatic intercept.
Showing plenty of toe, the front-rower charged down field as nine Bulldogs players went after him in pursuit.
And while Lawrence outran them all to plant the ball down at the other end of the field in what were classic rugby league scenes, there was just one problem: the referee, standing 100m away, had blown a penalty for what was a clear offside.
Those with BarTV Sports subscriptions can watch the action here.
TITANS MAKE A STATEMENT
Among the round one highlights were the performances of the Northern Rivers Titans, who chalked up impressive victories over the Monaro Colts in both grades.
Kicking off with a 30-6 win in the Johns Cup, the Titans did the double over the traditionally strong Colts by claiming a 34-12 win in the latter fixture.
It was an impressive opening for the club, which endured a mixed 2024 that saw both teams miss the finals.
The Titans were particularly impressive with the ball in hand, putting together some nice backline moves as they ran in 12 tries for the day.
BIG GUNS FIRE ON DAY ONE
The Titans weren’t the only club to enjoy success during round one, with the Central Coast Roosters, Macarthur Wests Tigers and Illawarra South Coast Dragons also enjoying clean sweeps of both grades.
The Roosters, winners of the last two Johns Cup titles, continued the region’s good run in that competition with a 34-12 victory over the Northern Tigers before holding off their rivals 30-26 in an 11-try thriller in the Daley Cup.
Elsewhere, perennial heavyweights Macarthur made light work of Riverina, prevailing 26-12 in the early fixture before wiping the floor with the Bulls 38-0 in the Daley Cup.
Meanwhile arguably the most impressive over the weekend were the Dragons.
With 38-10 and 34-8 victories over the Western Rams, the Illawarra sides ensured they finished the weekend with the combined most points scored (72) and best points difference (54) in the two competitions.
TOUGH START DOWN SOUTH
It was a very different story for the Western Rams, Monaro Colts and Riverina Bulls, who were all soundly beaten in both games by their round one rivals.
The sides all looked slightly off the pace during their difficult season openers, with five of the six teams conceding at least 30 points.
It won’t get any easier this weekend, with Western taking on the Central Coast in Lithgow, Riverina hosting the Dragons in Leeton and Monaro welcoming Macarthur to Canberra.
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Originally published as Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup: Top-10 talking points from round one
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