Each week day NSWRL will showcase the best tries scored in each junior representative competition this year in these five categories: don’t argue tries, through-the-hands tries, kick tries, runaway tries and individual effort tries - this week will will focus on the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup. Check back into this page for our rolling daily coverage.
Monday: Best don't argue tries
Tuesday: Best through-the-hands tries
Friday: Best individual effort tries
Monday: Best don't argue tries
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup | Best don't argue tries
Canberra Raiders player Carly Wilkin brought her A-game in Round 1 against the Parramatta Eeels when she barged through from close range in the 28th minute to extend her side's lead. The Raiders went on to win match 30-8.
Steelers lock Keeley Kopara certainly backed herself in when she saw some space open up in Round 5 against the Penrith Panthers as she stormed through and, despite the best efforts of the opposition fullback, got the ball over the line in the 33rd minute and helped her team to a 30-4 victory.
Raiders centre Valasi Asomua did some incredible lead up work to brush off five defenders in her wake and offload as she was being tackled for her halfback Krystall Blackwell to score under the posts over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Round 5.
Bulldogs forward Indee Brown decided to take matters into her own hands when she charged up the middle of the Newcastle Knights defence and skilfully offloaded to her five-eighth Anneka Wilson to score untouched under the posts in Round 4 where the Dogs dominated 32-8.
Illawarra Steelers prop Viena Tinao definitely did not feel like being tackled by any Wests Tigers defenders and wasn't stopping until she got to the tryline. She kept moving and got past six defenders to score from 15 metres out. The Steelers put on a masterclass in that Round 2 clash, putting on 44 points to the Tigers 6.
Tuesday: Best through-the-hands tries
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup | Best through the hands tries
The Parramatta Eels kicked off proceedings in enterprising style when they took on the Tigers at Campbelltown. Close to the line in the first minute, the Eels shifted right and nearly found the sideline before Summah Terare threw the ball back infield, with fullback Demia Pritchard scoring moments later.
In the Dragons’ 24-point Round 5 win against Cronulla-Sutherland at Mascot Oval, No.3 Stella Tijou had a strong two-try performance. One of those came from a deflected grubber when the home side recovered possession, and with quick hands to the left it was Tijou who took it upon herself to crash over the line.
The Wests Tigers attempted the sideline-to-sideline approach to score their first points of Round 5 in a clash with the Roosters, but it ultimately paid off in the end as Shelby Muir found the ball in her grasp and reached out for the corner to score.
The best players can produce great moments in big matches, and St George centre Bienne Terita did exactly that in the local derby against reigning premiers Illawarra. Although the Red V couldn’t come away with the win, their standout out play began at the halfway line and finished with Terita’s elusive speed, a sidestep and a try under the posts.
Wednesday: Best kick tries
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup | Best kick tries
Jaidarose Lene scored the third of four tries for the Tigers in their Round 4 meeting with Parramatta, making short work of a contested ball from a kick to the air on tackle five and landing in the in-goal for the try.
A charging Jamie Chapman was just enough to cause an unforced error for Penrith as they tried to defuse a midfield bomb, but it was already too late to regain possession when the Sharks’ fullback toed the ball forward and dived over next to the upright.
The grounded kick was one part of the Dragons’ game that caused problems for the Wests Tigers in their Round 6 matchup. The Dragons earned a repeat set from close range as the opposition defender couldn’t trap the approaching ball, then St George chose the short-side route for yet another four-pointer.
In a second Dragons’ try courtesy of the grubber in Round 6, five-eighth Rayven-Jodeci Boyce had to rush a kick-away under plenty of defensive pressure. As the Tigers seemed to have wrapped the ball up, a huge tackle by Cassey Tohi-Hiku forced it loose for captain Ryshe Faamausili to pick up the scraps and score.
It may have been the Bulldogs’ only points in their Round 6 loss to the Steelers, but Anjali Mence’s try in 26th minute was one to remember. As a kick went up in rainy conditions, No.13 Molimoli Sika jumped for the ball and continued her run to midfield before slipping an offload to the try-scorer.
Thursday: Best runaway tries
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup | Best runaway tries
In Round 5 against the Wests Tigers, Roosters speedster Zoe Cass was on the end of an early shift from the backfield, then from 60 metres out, started tip-toeing down the left-hand touchline at pace and evaded two defenders en route to score her debut try.
The Raiders made an emphatic start to the season with a 30-8 win over the Parramatta Eels at Belconnen. With half Krystal Blackwell steering the ship, the No.7 kept the Eels guessing with a double pump out of the scrum, leaving a gap out wide for winger Klaudia Osztrenkovics to sprint away for the try line.
Illawarra fullback Teagan Berry was at her try-scoring best when she scored a hat-trick against the Dragons in Round 4. In a performance that only emphasised her individual skill, Berry also showed her ability to finish with a show of speed on the end of a well-executed scrum play to score.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs went coast-to-coast from their own goal line against the Knights in Round 4, with fullback Kiiahla Duff running onto a pass off the ground and going across field before winger Addyson Winterstein was sent flying upfield for the try.
In Round 4, Sharks centre Andie Robinson pushed up in support after a break from Alexandra Weir and caught onto an offload to score what was just one of her three tries for the afternoon.
When the Roosters visited the Sharks at PointsBet Stadium in Round 6, five-eighth and captain Tayla Montgomery caught the ball from first receiver and found space with a step and a dummy, then handed it off for centre Maddie Binding to accelerate and score.
Friday: Best individual effort tries
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup | Best individual effort tries
With two minutes remaining in Round 1 against the Raiders, Eels captain Martha Fua scooped the ball from dummy half and broke two tackle attempts before getting her arms free and offloading to No.9 Marama Whanga Katipa who barged over for the try.
In the very same match and sole fixture of Round 1, Canberra fullback Madyson Tooth was backtracking near the halfway line, but somehow found room from nothing as she ran down the sideline and cut inside her opposite number on the way to the line.
Round 2 featured a sublime piece of play from the competition’s top try-scorer Teagan Berry. A dangerous kick-returner, the ball was batted back to the No.1 halfway up the field from the Tigers’ clearing kick. Six tackle-breaks later in broken field, Berry came out the other side and strolled over for a try beneath the uprights.
Dragons fullback Breeze E’e scored the final four-pointer in the Dragons’ dominant 38-0 performance in Round 6. Steaming onto a short ball from deep in her own half, the St George custodian broke through four tackles including the Tigers’ fullback to score under the posts.
Bienne Terita produced arguably the best individual try of the season when the Dragons faced the Eels at Kogarah in Round 3. The centre had plenty of work to do when she chased down a bouncing ball in her own 20-metre zone, yet Terita still managed to shrug off a swarm of four defenders and fool the fifth with a dummy, then finally running away to complete a brilliant 85-metre effort.
