NSWRL Junior Reps Rd 1: 20 major talking points Matts, Fiaola, Ball, Gale Cup opening round action
An incredible opening weekend saw a pair of 650+ day droughts broken, upsets across the grades and new contenders emerge. See what made headlines in our 20 talking points from NSWRL Junior Reps round one.
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With the first round of the NSWRL Junior Reps season in the books, it’s time to look back at the weekend that was.
Here are the 20 major talking points from across the four grades:
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP
BIG MAN STANDS TALL
There’s not many better sights than a big front rower scoring a meat pie, let alone four in one game.
That’s the feat of Wests big man Jake Gaffney, who has etched his name into Magpies folklore with the incredible feat.
The pick of the bunch came in the 42nd minute when James Lanyon kicked inside for his teammates, with Gaffney there to toe the ball ahead and finish off the try of the afternoon.
A FINISH LIKE NO OTHER
How Parramatta managed to return home with the two points from their Harold Matts clash with Newcastle in Cessnock is anyone’s guess.
The Eels looked comfortable enough at 18-12 up at the break, but once Newcastle tied the game they had all the ball and were camped deep in Eels territory.
Repeat set after repeat set finally broke Parra down as they conceded in the dying stages.
But somehow they were able to lift and big front rower Steven Nunn gave them the win against the odds.
BEARS END MAMMOTH DROUGHT
Round 9, 2023 was the last time North Sydney had tasted success in the Harold Matthews Cup.
That was until they pulled off an upset for the ages, coming from 10 points down with less than 10 minutes to play to score the victory.
The ironic thing? Both wins came against the Sydney Roosters.
PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
It took a while for the Warriors to get into their groove, but once they did, the defending Harold Matthews premiers looked the goods.
Ashton Ulaula-Ieremia slotted into the halfback role like a hand in glove and the new faces showed they belong at this level.
Interest among juniors in rugby league is at a high in New Zealand, and this team can give the comp a shake once again.
STEELERS GO WHACK
After missing the Harold Matts finals last year, there seems to be a newly discovered intent within the Steelers ranks.
They were simply phenomenal against Melbourne, blowing them out of the water with a dominant opening to the game that saw them up 26-0 in less than 20 minutes.
That kind of explosiveness in a nine-round competition will have a lot of teams looking over their shoulders.
TARSHA GALE CUP
CONTENDERS GO TO BATTLE
It’s not often you get a finals-like game in the opening round, but the Wests Tigers and Roosters delivered that in their Tarsha Gale clash.
The Tigers controlled the first half while the Roosters had all the running in the second, only for the former to hold solid and claim a handy two points.
You get the feeling both teams will be there when the whips are cracking, and nobody would complain if we saw this match-up again in the finals.
PANTHERS HOT START
With how their Tarsha Gale season ended in 2024, the Panthers will take a lot out of their gritty win over the Sharks.
They lost their last six games last season, scoring just 16 points over that period and conceding 304.
The determination they showed to overturn a second half deficit against strong opposition will give them plenty of confidence going forward.
EELS PRODUCTION LINE ROLLS ON
It was hard not to be impressed by the efforts of Parramatta’s U19s women as they steamrolled the Raiders on their home field.
With a few key departures from their Fiaola side who were due to step up, one might’ve though the Eels could drop off the pace.
They showed no such signs in a dominant display, led by a forward pack that wants to lay claim as the best in the division.
CANTERBURY’S FEMALE TALENT ANOTHER LEVEL
Across the two female divisions the Canterbury Bulldogs outscored North Sydney 110-4.
Their attention to detail and ability to execute a game plan shows how much of a well-drilled machine they are.
In what is the biggest year yet for the female arm of the club with an impending NRLW debut, these two teams got 2025 off to a flawless start.
DRAGONS SHOW SIGNS OF LIFE
It’s hard not to be impressed by the turnaround of St George in Tarsha Gale Cup.
Last season they failed to win a game and scored just 14 points all year.
On the weekend they kept defending premiers Illawarra to just one second half try and were well in the contest for the entire 60 minutes in their 24-12 defeat.
They will definitely get themselves on the board sooner rather than later.
SG BALL CUP
BLACK AND GOLD NEVER FOLD
Before a ball was kicked Balmain coach Shane Sultana acknowledged the tough challenge facing his side in the opening rounds. Winless last season and chasing the club’s first U19s victory in almost two years, the young Tigers turned heads with an epic boilover at Campbelltown.
Undaunted by a powerful Magpies outfit, the magnitude of the victory was there for all to see when after sealing the deal, Jordan Bunt was swamped by a wave of elated teammates.
REDFERN EXPRESS
Still on monumental form shifts, not many predicted the Rabbitohs’ slaughter of reigning premiers St George.
They showed glimpses of what might be on the horizon at the back end of last season, but if they continue to unlock slippery half Matthew Humphries every week, they’re sure to be in the finals mix.
DOGS SKITTLED
Both of last year’s grand finalists started on the wrong foot after a resurgent Canberra downed Canterbury.
In sensational scenes at Belconnen, Raiders prop Jesse Milin couldn’t stay out of the in-goal. One off the ruck on repeat, the towering No.10 crashed his way across the stripe on four separate occasions.
TACKLE OF THE WEEK
Cronulla overcame a 14-6 halftime deficit to overrun the Panthers, but without a miracle tackle by Oliver Lester it could have been a different story.
Up by six early in the second half, Penrith half Cooper Black seemed certain to double the advantage, only to be held up under the posts by an extraordinary effort from the Sharks fullback.
LARGE STEP
Boom Manly recruit Onitoni Large only needed five minutes to show what all the fuss was about following his departure from Wests.
Handed the ball on the last play, the silky skilled No.6 dummied left then skipped right, exploding through the Warriors line for the opening try.
LISA FIAOLA CUP
FOUR DUCKS
The start of junior reps traditionally overlaps with the cricket season, but have we ever seen four ducks in the opening round?
Norths, Souths, St George and Wests Tigers all failed to trouble the scorers in heavy defeats.
SLICK ROOSTERS
Try scoring machine Mia Vaotuua continued from where she left off last season. In a side stacked with pace and flair, the long striding Central Coast skipper opened with a hat-trick against the Tigers.
Playing five-eighth, when she wasn’t backing up teammates, she was pouncing on kicks in a fine all-round performance.
STRONG SIGNS
Illawarra downed St George 26-0, but there were more than enough signs to suggest coach Renee Targett has the Dragons heading in the right direction.
Less than twelve months ago a flash Steelers put 60 on their northern rivals. And at 16-0 another post halftime blowout was on the cards, but the Red V showed heart, limiting the damage to another 10 points.
HISTORIC TRY
Parramatta were in no mood to grant the Raiders a soft initiation in their Fiaola debut.
Eels centre Cody Tuimaseve slid across in the opening minute. Undeterred, the Raiders hit back four minutes later through winger Saige Fattore, who swooped on an Adelaide Norris grubber to ink her name in the club history books.
BLOCKBUSTER AWAITS
Newcastle weren’t far off the pace last season and showed nothing has changed in a nine-try demolition of Souths.
It makes for a blockbuster next week when they tackle the highly fancied Roosters at Mascot Oval. With both sides yet to concede a point and full of running, it’s one to keep an eye on.
Originally published as NSWRL Junior Reps Rd 1: 20 major talking points Matts, Fiaola, Ball, Gale Cup opening round action
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