NSWRL Junior Reps: Latest results, updates from round seven of Matts, Fiaola, Ball, Gale Cup action
Round seven of the NSWRL Junior Reps saw teams make their move while others fell out of finals contention. Catch up on all the upsets and scores from all four grades on a huge day of action.
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Teams are making their moves with just three rounds remaining in the NSWRL Junior Reps.
Catch up on all the latest results from around the grounds with our coverage of all four grades.
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Lisa Fiaola - Tarsha Gale - Harold Matthews - SG Ball
LISA FIAOLA
SHARKS STUN ROOSTERS
The Central Coast walked into an old-fashioned ambush in the Shire, suffering their first loss of the season as the Sharks announced themselves, striking late to score a stunning 14-12 victory at Cronulla High School.
Confronted by a Roosters defence that had only conceded one try in five starts, the Sharks met fire with fire and struck twice against the odds to lead 10-0 at halftime.
Makayla Vakauta sliced through for the first, the centre steaming onto a perfectly timed pass from halfback Julliana Kolio.
Prop Heni Mayers punched holes through the middle all day, and with Central Coast on the backfoot, centre Sophia Brightwell danced across just before the break.
Staring down the barrel of their first defeat, Roosters fullback Stella Hall orchestrated a comeback with a superb cutout ball to unmarked winger Coco Butcher. And they edged to within two of the lead when five-eighth Mia Vaotuua raced away with 15 minutes remaining.
With the tails up, the Central Coast girls looked to have averted a boilover when menacing front-rower Kewa Kahuroa barged over to put them in front 12-10.
But Cronulla kept coming, and despite bombing a golden opportunity with the line wide open in the closing stages, they steadied and struck the knock out blow in the 56th minute.
Camped on the Roosters’ tryline after five tackles, hooker Isabella
McDonald showed great composure, delivering a perfect inside ball for prop Manawanui James to crash over and seal a valuable fourth victory.
PANTHER POWER
Needing a win to maintain their spot in the top eight, Penrith have blown away the winless Rabbitohs 64-0 at Redfern.
The Panthers fired out of the blocks with two early tries and added another three before the interval to lead 24-0.
Vasaliva Feleti had a day out on the left edge. After finishing a backline raid in the fourth minute the winger added another two before halftime, and bagged a fourth midway through the second half.
In a much-needed boost to their points differential, Penrith upped the ante with seven second half four-pointers, including doubles to middle forwards Kyla Pasene and Patricia Heihei.
ILLAWARRA SECOND HALF STEEL
Fresh from signing a development deal with the Dragons, Halle Barrett has helped sink Manly with two tries in Illawarra’s comfortable 38-8 victory in Wollongong.
The robust centre only needed four minutes to stamp her class, charging over against the grain as Illawarra laid the foundations with a 10-4 halftime advantage.
Fullback Ella Churchill and back-rower Charlotte Nicolson scored either side of the break as Illawarra continued to target Manly’s right edge defence.
They added another four in the final 20 minutes. Barrett raced away for her second, and was followed across the stripe by winger Manawa Jen Tukere before Holly Czornobej and Juliet Merheb added their names to the score sheet.
Prop Paula Halaholo showed immense strength to barge over for Manly late in the first half, and they added another in the closing minutes when winger Katie Andrews crossed in the right corner.
BULLDOGS SOLDIER ON
A dominant first half performance has seen Canterbury extend its unbeaten streak to six after they downed Newcastle 38-6 at Raymond Terrace.
Newcastle’s points came in the second minute through determined back-rower Maddison-Renae Seumanutafa, but the Knights proved no match in defence, as a rampant Bulldogs clicked into gear scoring the next six tries to lead 28-6 at halftime.
Shanthie Lui was simply outstanding at the back. Using her height and power, the No. 1 swiftly ignited Canterbury’s comeback, racing in back-to-back tries within the opening 10 minutes.
Winger Shakira Lui also notched a double before the break, a performance matched in the second half by centre Jayda Peo.
With five wins already under their belt, Newcastle showed what they’re made of after the break. The Knights could have easily rolled over, instead they rolled up their sleeves and kept the Bulldogs to two tries.
RAIDERS POWER PAST BEARS
Canberra kept its slim finals hopes alive with a dominant 30-4 win over North Sydney at Belconnen.
Second rower Kymiah Stewart and halfback Adelaide Norris formed a lethal partnership early, with Norris putting Stewart through a gap to score the opener, before Stewart got on the end of a grubber from Norris to give Canberra a perfect start.
The Bears eventually recovered through Tiani Faiva-Tulemau to cut it back to six, before Saige Fattore gave the Raiders a 10-point buffer at the break.
The second half was a struggle for ascendancy, before Canberra posted three tries in the space of 10 minutes to Jayda Cook, Evie Perry and Maddison Higgins to seal the win.
TARSHA GALE
BULLDOGS EYE PERFECT SEASON
Canterbury survived a Newcastle scare to remain undefeated in the Tarsha Gale Cup, prevailing 20-12 at Raymond Terrace.
Milahn Ieremia gave the Bulldogs a hot start when she landed a pinpoint cut-out on the chest of Simina Lokotui to open the scoring in the fifth minute.
The Knights responded though and found themselves ahead in the shadows of halftime, firstly after Fane Finau benefited from a mix-up at the back from the visitors, and then an Aylah McCulloch bullet put Brandy Simpson over in the corner to give them an 8-4 lead.
Canterbury needed less than a minute in the second half to take over, with Pauline Suli-Ruka busting through the line and handing off to Tia’ane Tavita Fesolai for an easy score.
A huge burst from Lokotui gave the Bulldogs prime field position again, and they extended with a simple spread finished off by Faith Masina.
Jayda Maniapoto helped to set up a grandstand finish when she scooted out of dummy half to put Finau over for her second to get the Knights back to within four with 10 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs withstood the charge and Elizabeth MacGregor put the result beyond doubt in the closing stages.
MIRACLE COMEBACK
Cronulla have staged a miracle comeback to break the Roosters’ hearts with a stirring 26-18 victory in the Shire.
Sitting one place behind Cronulla in sixth spot, the visitors held the early running and with a double to hulking winger Fa’agase Tupuola-Palale headed to the sheds leading 18-6.
Genevieve Mafi barged over to initiate the fightback, and Cronulla edged to within two when centre Lacie Bowling steamed onto a Ella Ropata long-ball.
With the game still in the balance nearing the final 10 minutes, Milla Caine exploded from nowhere. Using all her pace, the Sharkies centre cut against the grain and raced over next to the posts.
Holding on 22-18, the Sharks put the result to bed with the final four-pointer to Chynna Hardy.
LEAVING IT LATE
South Sydney almost caused one of the upsets of the season before Penrith stepped up in the dying stages to walk out of Redfern with two crucial competition points.
After Rabbitohs winger Phoenix Williams dived into the left corner in the 13th minute Souths looked like holding onto a 10-6 first half advantage until Madison Wilson levelled the scores on the stroke of halftime with a length of the field try.
Centre Jade Elford put the visitors ahead after the interval and another to Wilson pushed Penrith clear 18-10.
Showing plenty of fight, centre Abbie Ritchie reached out to score Souths’ third, narrowing the margin to 18-16.
But with their top-eight prospects on the line in the closing minutes, determined Penrith prop Danica Talitonu barged over to make it 22-16.
ILLAWARRA DOES ENOUGH
Illawarra were pushed all the way by a struggling Manly side before kicking late to win 22-12 at Collegians Sporting Complex.
Sitting pretty in second spot, the Steelers were tipped to run over the Sea Eagles who headed south looking to record their first win of the season.
Up for the contest, Manly showed their intentions and struck the first blow through backrower Lexus Christie Talau Brown.
Manly clung to a 6-0 lead for the majority of the half only to fall behind 10-6 after conceding a couple of late tries before halftime.
The second half started much like the first. Manly regained the lead through prop Teuila Robertson, who barged over to make it 12-10.
With her fingerprints all over Illawarra’s finest work, hooker Tori Shipton put her side back in the drivers seat. After crossing in the first half, she dashed under the posts for her second to put her team up 16-12.
Backrower Rhian Yeo stepped through some tired Manly defence to score the final try of the afternoon.
BEARS DENIED LATE
North Sydney was denied its first win of the season with a heartbreaking 26-24 defeat to Canberra at Belconnen.
Canberra opened the scoring inside five minutes through Summer Luamanu, but the rest of the first half was all red and black.
An Angelina Ballas break saw her find Samurai Pati Ah-Cheung backing up to get North Sydney off and running, before Losa Lasalo dived from dummy half to take the lead.
TeAira Rehutai completed a good half with a strong effort to put the Bears ahead 18-6.
Canberra quickly tied things up with two tries in the space of five minutes, including a lovely solo effort from Elise Simpson to set up a thrilling final 15 minutes.
Brodie Pleasance and Gabriella Savage then traded tries as the scores rose to 24-all with 10 on the clock.
A penalty for markers being offside saw Simpson put the Raiders ahead by two with the easy kick in what would prove the difference.
HAROLD MATTHEWS
PARRA CLASS SHINES THROUGH
Parramatta breathed life into their finals hopes after the Eels swept aside an equally desperate Western Suburbs 24-10.
Both sides arrived at Lidcombe Oval on two wins apiece, but it was the Magpies who immediately found themselves behind the eight-ball when skipper Siotame Havea Jr was injured in the opening set.
Failing to rise to his feet after a carry, the game was delayed for 10 minutes while the lock forward received treatment for a neck injury before he was carried from the field on a stretcher.
The incident was placed on report and the game recommenced with Wests receiving a penalty.
Parramatta opened the scoring five minutes later through Christopher Moala when the centre dashed over in the right corner.
The Eels enjoyed the majority of field position and fullback Riley Davis ensured the points kept flowing, showing his pace to notch a double for a 16-0 lead.
Not to be outdone, Wests counted through Joshua Vella when the No.1 muscled across after the break and the Magpies continued to mount a comeback, reducing the margin to six when Daniel Lafolafo powered over with 20 to play.
But it was Parra’s day. Christopher Moala struck again after a repeat set and Cobi McCloskey added another in the final minutes.
STEELERS CONTINUE GOLDEN RUN
Illawarra dented North Sydney’s finals hopes while keeping its own of an unbeaten season alive after a comprehensive 30-10 victory at Collegians.
It took nine minutes for them to break the game open, but once they did the points flowed in the first half, firstly through a show-and-go from Jett Brookfield, then a simple line from Cooper Morrison had them at 10-0 up.
They got lucky with a missed obstruction on the next set, leading directly to an Oliver Burton try, before the Bears hit back through Joseph Wesserr taking on the line at pace.
The Steelers rounded out the half with front rower Mason Andrews carrying two defenders over the line, giving them a 20-4 advantage at the half.
The result was quickly beyond doubt early in the second half when Sonny MacGregor posted a double in the space of seven minutes.
SIZZLING KNIGHTS
Newcastle scored their sixth win after the Knights raced away in the second half to defeat Canterbury 40-10.
Curtis Mulherin struck first for Newcastle before Canterbury flipped the script, jumping ahead 10-6 with tries to Oka Chan Kum Tong and Wesley Papalii-Afoa.
With their nerves in check, Newcastle regained the momentum to lead 18-10 and they fired all the shots after the break.
Mulherin crossed again before elusive fullback Riley Rostron put the contest to bed with consecutive four-pointers.
ROOSTERS WIN ON DEFENCE
The Sydney Roosters got the better of Canberra 28-16 after the Tricolours kept the Raiders scoreless in the second half at Belconnen.
In a high octane opening, the visitors rattled off three tries in just seven minutes and looked settled for an easy afternoon.
Hooker Payton Gifford broke through in the first minute. Centre Bastion Armstrong then backed up to finish on the left edge, before Jeziah Papa did the same on the other side of the field to make it 18-0.
In an astonishing comeback, Canberra found themselves back in contention 17 minutes later when Tyler Jordan crossed for the Raiders’ third in the space of six minutes.
Needing a victory to maintain a place inside the top four, the Roosters held the Raiders out after the break and put the result to bed with late tries to Papa and Lachlan Metcalfe.
ROOSTERS CROWING
Central Coast sounded out an emphatic warning to the rest of the Harold Matts comp, notching their fifth-straight win after a 34-0 defeat of Melbourne at Berkeley Vale.
A double to Semi Leweniqila and two more to Zaylen Ekepati and Cooper Gibbs had the Roosters racing the clock with a 22-0 margin through 15 minutes of play.
Koby Houghton rounded out a flawless first half to give them a 26-point buffer.
Corbin Devaney and Ekepati put the finishing touches on the win in the second half as they held onto second spot and kept their opponents scoreless.
RABBITOHS LATE MIRACLE
The Rabbitohs kept their top-four hopes alive in the final minute with a thrilling 26-22 win over Penrith at Redfern Oval.
Both South Sydney and Penrith traded blows throughout an intense first half, with a Payton Tarau penalty goal on the stroke of halftime lifting the Rabbitohs to a slight 14-12 lead.
Soon after the break Saumani Leatupue was the beneficiary of some nice play from Owen Knowles to put Penrith in front for the first time.
Their lead lasted just minutes however, with Tarau catching Penrith’s defence rolling backwards on their own line.
Penrith hit back with 10 minutes to go, taking a slender lead after a freakish effort from Jaylin Moran to pick the ball up from a kick on his own 15m line and streak through the defence to score.
With time winding down and less than a minute to play, it was Tarau who became an instant hero at Redfern, taking on the line and scoring to seal the win.
SG BALL
DOGS DENY KNIGHTS IN THRILLER
Canterbury took a big step towards locking up a finals spot, downing Newcastle in a 36-30 shootout at the Lakeside Sporting Complex.
The Bulldogs knew they had to start fast and they did just that with Chayse Geros the beneficiary of a mistake at the back from the Knights in the opening four minutes and Zane Groves reaching out to score, despite it looking like he was short of the line.
Newcastle overcame that and hit back firstly through Toby Winter regathering a kick and running almost 100m to score, and then Haami Loza taking on the line to level things up at 12-all.
They soon had their first lead of the contest when Sosaia Latu found space on an edge, before Geros ran a good line to secure his second and put the Bulldogs ahead 18-16 at the break.
Lovely lead-up work from Loza and Winter put tryscoring machine Aidan Gow over to put the Knights back in front, and minutes later he had a double as they opened up an eight-point margin.
That was quickly reduced back to four when Canterbury five-eighth Elijah Tu’ifua ran at the line and caught the defence out to bring it back to two.
It was another lead change moments later when Oliva Smith broke clean through the middle and handed off to Matthew Barakat.
Scores were tied once again coming into the final 10 minutes after Winter lobbed a pass to Latu, who used his strength to burrow over.
The Bulldogs snatched the lead back once more when Jope Rauqe snatched a Matthew Barakat chip and produced a classy finish in close quarters near the sideline.
PARRA WIN BATTLE OF THE WEST
Parramatta are yet to taste defeat after the Eels ended the Magpies’ three-match winning streak with a stylish 34-10 win at Lidcombe.
Coming off a slow start to the season, Wests were building as a competition dark horse and would have fancied their chances against the ladder leaders. But it was the Eels who flexed their muscles, rattling off four opening half tries to build an unassailable 22-4 lead.
Dynamic prop Ryda Talagi barged over to set the scene in the fourth minute, and the margin increased with a double to winger Aidan Kebourian.
Halfback Lincoln Fletcher showed his pace with a second half double, and with five conversions finished with a personal haul of 18 points.
Fullback Riley Oitmann scored a try either side of the break for Wests.
STORM TAKE DOWN RAIDERS
Melbourne’s winning run extended to five with a last-ditch 28-26 win over Canberra at Seabrook Reserve.
After racing out to a 10-0 lead from as many minutes, the Storm had to withstand a Raiders charge as they piled on three unanswered tries to take a 14-10 advantage at the break.
Kobi Floro’s second of the afternoon pipped the Storm ahead once again, before Melbourne bit at a Jamie Cowling dummy for the Raiders half to slice through.
A break from Luke Cannon found Mitchell Brophy who put Braydan Darmody over to edge the Raiders ahead again.
Their lead was cut to four with 10 to play as Cooper Clarke broke through some poor defence on the goal line.
Melbourne’s comeback was complete when a sidestepping Jordan Hamlin left the defence clutching at air to claim a big win in the context of their season.
STEELERS DROP THE HAMMER
Illawarra remains in the hunt for a top-four finish after knocking off North Sydney 50-14 at Collegians.
Drew Langdon was on fire on an edge throughout the first half, picking up a double as the Steelers opened up a 22-4 lead at halftime.
It was all red and white in the second half, with halfback Kade Reed scoring a hat-trick in a 16-minute period to open up a big lead and push the Steelers beyond reach.
His three tries looked like a carbon copy of each other, with his trademark show-and-go catching the Bears out on multiple occasions.
Illawarra remains in a cluster of teams fighting it out for a double chance in the finals.
RABBITOHS RUN RIOT
South Sydney has all-but secured a top-four finish after a huge win over Penrith to the tune of 52-8 at Redfern Oval.
It was the Panthers that started best with star forward Heinz Lemoto getting across the line, before the Rabbitohs clicked into another gear.
They closed out the first half with five tries in a 16-minute span, including doubles to both Jacob Fong and Taj Alvarez to take complete control with a 30-4 margin.
Charlie Poynton scored within a minute of coming out from the sheds and Alvarez had a third not long after as they continued to pile on the points.
Lemoto’s double was the bright spot on a tough afternoon for Penrith.
Fong completed his hat-trick in the closing stages as the Rabbitohs cracked the half century for the third time this season.
Originally published as NSWRL Junior Reps: Latest results, updates from round seven of Matts, Fiaola, Ball, Gale Cup action
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