Souths Junior Round Two Wrap: Full results, key talking points, gallery from A-grade
Catch up on a huge weekend of the Souths Juniors A-grade competition with the five major headlines from round two, plus check out the huge photo gallery from Mascot Oval.
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THESE are the five major talking points from round five of the Souths Juniors competition.
THINGS GET PHYSICAL AT MASCOT
There was plenty of feeling in the match between Mascot and South Eastern.
The level of physicality was strong throughout the 70 minutes, with a send off and sin bin to cap things off.
No doubt there would’ve been a few sore bodies come Sunday, with the Seagulls aided by their first win of the year.
EARLY BUY OF THE YEAR?
The inevitable discussion around who will take the title of best buy of the year has already started.
Someone who threw his hat into the ring was Kurtis Preece, who has made the move from South Eastern to Matraville.
The classy halfback helped them get over the line in a narrow win over Dolphins, and will play a huge role as they look to go back-to-back.
OLD FOES GO TO WAR
Redfern has had the better of La Perouse in recent times, but the Panthers will savour their win at the weekend.
The All Blacks looked destined to continue their good run of form in the clash, only to be denied by a late Cody Pittman try.
A huge crowd was on hand at Yarra Reserve, with both sides boasting loyal supporter bases, and creating an incredible atmosphere.
DOLPHINS INCHING CLOSER
You get the feeling that once things click for the Coogee Dolphins, they’ll bring themselves into contention.
Two close losses to start the year leave them as one of two sides without a win, but they’ll take some comfort in the fact they pushed the defending premiers right to their limits.
Keanu Wright-Dunrobin has spent time in the Souths system and looks a nice fit for them in the halves.
RABBITOHS RETURNEES MAKE AN IMPACT
Having Rabbitohs pathways players coming back into the competition is proving beneficial for clubs and the overall standard of the competition.
Bayleigh Bentley-Hape controlled things to perfection for South Eastern, Marco Moretti was huge for Matraville and Zac Makelim led La Perouse to a win the club is very proud of.
These players coming back to the local league lifts the level of play and is great for spectators.
ROUND TWO WRAP, GALLERY
A THRILLING second round of the Souths Juniors saw a pair of two-point games and one of the competition’s heavyweights get back in the groove.
Here’s how round two played out.
SOUTH EASTERN SHOWS ITS CLASS
The South Eastern Seagulls overcame being reduced to 12 men midway through the second half to down Mascot 26-12 at Mascot Oval.
In a polished display, the visitors ran in four first half tries to open up a 22-6 halftime lead, with captain Bayleigh Bentley-Hape playing a key role.
When Tallis Angianga was removed for a high tackle, South Eastern didn’t take their foot off the pedal, with centre Michael Lyons crossing the stripe to give them a matchwinning advantage.
Captain Bentley-Hape said it was important for the club to get back on track after a first-round defeat to Matraville in a rematch of last year’s grand final.
“It was pretty physical. At the end of the day we got the win. It was an ugly win, but we’ll take it,” he said.
“We weren’t good enough in our completions last week. The boys are starting to gel together now, we’re getting our calls right and playing as a team.
“That was my goal this week to get my hands on the ball a lot more, take on the line where I can and play the right options.
“All of our outside backs played well. We were under the pump in the first 10 minutes of each half.”
LA PEROUSE EDGES REDFERN AT THE DEATH
La Perouse enjoys a share of top spot on the standings after a last-ditch 18-16 win over Redfern at Yarra Reserve.
In a battle between the old foes, the All Blacks turned a 12-6 halftime lead into a 16-12 advantage inside the final minute, before some late heroics denied them at the death.
Shawn Orcher threw a cutout to Cody Pittman, with the young winger crossing out wide.
That set up a matchwinning kick for Zac Makelim, who stepped up to the plate and proved the hero in front of his home fans.
“We feel relieved. It was a stressful game,” Panthers coach Rob Longbottom said.
“It was a big crowd for both games (A-grade and reserves), so it’s good to get that win at home.
“We haven’t played our best, but the boys have turned up for each other. They don’t drop their heads like past years, where we would’ve lost games like that.”
Harley Lester was strong from the interchange, with hooker Makelim showing why he is in the Rabbitohs pathways with his clutch efforts.
MATRAVILLE ESCAPES WITH LATE WIN
The Tigers made it back-to-back wins to start the year with a 16-14 win over Coogee Dolphins at Kensington Oval.
The Dolphins had all the running in the first half and held a handy advantage at the break on the back of a structured defensive line and good discipline.
Finding themselves behind for much of the contest, Matraville finished too strong over the concluding stages, with new recruit Kurtis Preece scoring the matchwinner.
New recruit Marco Moretti was among the strongest for the premiers, with Archie Donnelly, Tim Bennett and Wyatt Rangi also impressing.
RESERVE GRADE
La Perouse completed a double with a big 46-0 win over Marrickville, courtesy of two Jak Evans tries.
Redfern edged out Matraville 28-24, the boot of Jordan Glacken-Tonna proved the difference as Alexandria Rovers took down Mascot 16-14, and fullback Lachlan Scott scored a double as South Eastern downed the Dolphins 28-4.
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Originally published as Souths Junior Round Two Wrap: Full results, key talking points, gallery from A-grade
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