Easter is here and the NSWRL TV will be bringing you plenty of action across the weekend with the penultimate round in the Junior Representative Competitions before the Finals get underway, Round Four of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, another Monday night blockbuster in the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership.
The action starts at 3pm on Easter Saturday with Mounties looking to maintain their strong start to the season against South Sydney Rabbitohs at Aubrey Keech Reserve. That will be followed also on Easter Saturday by three bumper Junior Reps matches at Mascot Oval between the Roosters and Canberra Raiders including the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup at 11.30am, the UNE Harold Matthews Cup at 1pm and the UNE SG Ball Cup at 2.30pm. Wests Tigers and Helensburgh Tigers will face off at 7pm on Easter Monday when they square off in the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership at Campbelltown Stadium.
The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Mounties have been in good touch this season after winning two of their three games but will line up this week without five-eighth Lachlan Lewis who has been recalled to the NRL by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with eight players unavailable in the top side through injury or suspension. Mounties had a big win 34-10 win over Canberra at GIO Stadium where they raced to a 22-0 lead before the 20-minute mark.
The Rabbitohs are still searching for their first win of the season and stayed in touch with North Sydney last round until the Bears ran away with the match in the final 20 minutes to run out 30-12 winners. They still have a washout game in hand but will be looking to rebound against Mounties and get their campaign underway to stay in touch with the top eight.
Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup
Indigenous Academy Sydney Roosters are coming off a massive 50-0 win over Parramatta which saw hooker Taneka Todhunter grab a hat-trick while centre Sophie Whitton, winger Zoe Cass and backrower Otesa Pule all grabbed doubles. The Roosters sit inside the Top 6 and a win will guarantee their spot in the finals with only two rounds to go.
The Raiders are outside the Top 6 and must win (and rely on other results going their way) to keep their finals hopes alive. They had the bye last round, while the previous week before that was a washout, so will be keen to get back on the field and make a statement.
UNE Harold Matthews Cup
The Sydney Roosters sit inside the Top Six in fifth position and a win will keep their hopes alive of a top two finish and guaranteed week off in the first week of the finals. They had a strong start to the season after remaining unbeaten after five rounds but have lost their past two games and will be keen to return to the winner’s circle.
They face a Raiders team which has a had a difficult season and is coming off a bye and a washout. They are still searching for their first win and will be keen to finish the season on a high note with only two rounds remaining.
UNE SG Ball Cup
With only two rounds to go before the finals series gets underway, it will be a battle between two of the competition’s heavyweights with the Roosters and the Raiders sitting in third and fourth position respectively. The winner is a chance to move into the top two which guarantees a week off in the first week of the finals. The Roosters have been unbeaten in their past five rounds and are coming off a 36-22 win over Parramatta last round with five-eighth Sandon Smith scoring 12 points after scoring a try and landing four goals. The Raiders had a bye last round, and a washout before that, with their last appearance being a 47-24 loss to Parramatta so they will be keen to turn things around.
Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership
Wests Tigers sit inside the top four of the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership after a massive 54-4 win in the opening round against Cabramatta Two Blues and a bye in round three (round two was a washout). NSW Women’s Origin fullback Botille Vette-Welsh skippers the side while Emily Curtain calls the shots at halfback.
They face the Helensburgh Tigers, who boast NSW Women’s Origin stars Kezie Apps and Jessica Sergis and have had a tough start to the season. They had the bye in Round One, a washout in Round Two and were beaten 46-10 by an in-form Mounties outfit last round. They will be hoping for a much-improved showing against Wests Tigers.
