ASSRL Nationals Under-15/16 Insider: ACT Paula-Lee Going and Adelaide Norris key to success
They have forged a brilliant partnership on the field, but the job this ACT duo has to do off it could be just as important at the ASSRL Nationals. Find out more in our tournament insider.
Rugby League Live Stream
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby League Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News.
They are the ACT’s version of the Glee Club.
Best friends and club mates, Adelaide Norris and Paula-Lee Going, have been given an important task across the week at the ASSRL National Championships.
They need to keep the squad happy.
WATCH THE ASSRL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS LIVE
It is a task the pair are more than happy to tackle, joining forces for the first time on the national stage after partnering for years at the Tuggeranong Buffaloes.
“We have played together for three years now, we have bonded a lot over the years,” Going said of the partnership.
“We have played rugby league, Oztag and rugby union together, and every sport we have played in we have had that friendship. It is good because we just click.
“When everyone sees that positivity we bring to the team, they can be happy too. It is our job to lead that, even if we are getting beaten, we have to keep the positivity in the group high.”
It’s not just off the field where the partnership between the pair has been put to work, with Norris and Going forging an impressive resume at the nationals with the ACT on one win and a loss after two days.
The pair are just as influential on the defensive end, with Going forced to pull off several last ditch try-saving tackles in the side’s loss to Queensland on Tuesday.
While it didn’t lead to a victory for the ACT side, it certainly showed the level of tenacity in the young fullback, as well as a willingness to put her body on the line for her teammates.
“When I see them (break through the line), I just think don’t give them too much space, I rush up and cut down their time with the ball,” she said. “I need to shut their space down.
“It is a good feeling making those one-on-one saves, but I need to make sure I am saving every try, not just a few.
“I think our effort has been pretty good, but we have things we need to work on. I think our line speed can be better and our defence getting more compressed. We have been leaving too many gaps.
“We can fix it but when the fatigue hits in these games, it can be hard.”
NSW CCC has an answer for the Raging Bull
He is NSW Combined Catholic College’s answer to the Raging Bull, and lock forward Charlie Xuereb might have the intensity to lead them to a national title.
The NSW CCC side kicked off its ASSRL Under-15 National Championships campaign with a thrilling six-point win over rivals Queensland White.
It was a 24-18 win built off a foundation of fire and brimstone from their men up front, and was a far cry from the limp way they exited last year’s tournament.
“We wanted to bring that intensity, we wanted to kick down the front door,” NSW CCC backrower Jake Capovilla said.
“It is NSW against Queensland, we have that rivalry. I think we had that intensity of the game.
“(Xeureb) was huge for us, you can’t keep control of him, he just goes out there wanting to hurt blokes.
“It is his intensity and intent that he brings to the team. He is leading us out there and bringing us all along with him.”
With a fired-up Xuereb and front row partner Cordell Arama leading the charge, the NSW CCC side piled on 10 points in 10 minutes to shock their rivals.
“They came out very explosive in the first five minutes, we tried to go with them but they were just too big and too strong,” Queensland winger Derek Ah Wang said.
The Queenslanders managed to fight their way back into the contest off the boot of five-eighth Manua Dau, with the Kirwan State High playmaker setting up a try for Eru Gunn-James before Darius Birve put the Queenslanders in front in the shadows of halftime.
“We had that lead in the first half, and we were comfortable in that spot to go with them,” Ah Wang said.
“We wanted to keep playing our footy and wanted to keep rolling.”
But it would be the size and strength of the NSW CCC pack which put a halt to the Queenslanders with two tries in four minutes, through Lorima Seuseu and bench dummy-half Ryan Cloey, which turned the match once again.
Queensland had one final shot at levelling the match in the final seconds, but a brilliant cover tackle from NSW CCC centre Zack Fitzgerald put one final exclamation mark on the physical encounter.
Why bulldozing Queensland leader would be just at home in the halves
Queensland girls halfback Lilianah Lewis believes rampaging lock forward Evelyn Roberts is that good, she could line up on the wing or in the halves with her.
The pair, who play together at Marsden State High, have been shining lights of an impressive Maroons outfit over the opening two days of the ASSRL Under-15/16 National Championships in Port Macquarie.
Roberts, a New Zealand-born middle forward, has captained the Queensland side to an undefeated start at the tournament including a brilliant 40-0 demolition of ACT on Tuesday, while Lewis has been the conductor of their lethal attack at halfback.
While Roberts performance has been typified by her barnstorming carries through the middle of the field, and lightning-quick play-the-balls, Lewis has suggested there is more strings to the skipper’s bow that are yet to be seen.
“She is a very good leader and she can really play in any position on the field,” Lewis said. “She is real nifty and really smart when it comes to the
game.
“She could easily play in the halves, she has the smarts to know what to do.”
Roberts was part of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs premiership-winning Lisa Faiola Shield squad this season and was named player of the tournament. She has carried her form, which included a two-try haul in the grand final, into the ASSRL National Championships.
Lewis, who set up three tries as the Queenslanders stormed home with a five-try second-half against ACT, said her side’s emphatic start to the tournament was down to the way in which the squad came together.
“We have bonded so well together in our camp,” Lewis said.
“It was really good especially with girls coming from up north and out west. No one was shy when they came in, no one excluded themselves. I just think everyone had the chance to just be themselves and enjoy the vibes.”
Originally published as ASSRL Nationals Under-15/16 Insider: ACT Paula-Lee Going and Adelaide Norris key to success
REPLAYS: Mackay SHS stand and deliver, Aaron Payne Cup
Rivalries between state schools and colleges invariably get heated and the battle of Mackay has delivered on that front. But who won on the scoreboard? Watch both Cup and Challenge REPLAYS in full.
REPLAYS: Huge first half paves way for Wavell win
With a passionate crowd cheering them on, Wavell had this game in the bag by halftime break after winger Kurt Jones starred with two tries and a try assist. Check out the REPLAYS.