By Claire Stegbauer
It was another entertaining round of NSWRL Junior Representatives fixtures, with several close contests and impressive individual displays highlighting the weekend’s action.
UNE SG Ball Cup
Bears finish strong to down Raiders in physical Belconnen contest
The North Sydney Bears produced a late surge to defeat the Canberra 24-16 in Round Five of the UNE SG Ball Cup at Raiders Belconnen on Saturday, overcoming an arm-wrestle and multiple momentum swings to seal the victory.
Canberra struck first early in the contest. Off the back of a scrum the Raiders worked the short side before sweeping the ball out to the right edge where halfback Jamie Cowling spotted a gap and backed himself. Cowling stepped through the defensive line to score the opening try in the fifth minute, before Kye Anderson added the conversion to give the home side a 6-0 lead.
Following the early breakthrough, the match settled into a physical battle through the middle with neither side able to crack the opposition defence for nearly 15 minutes.
It was eventually the Bears who broke the deadlock in the 21st minute. A well-timed draw and pass from Hayden Moynihan opened space on the left edge, allowing North Sydney to shift quickly to the wing where Cody Field rose high to claim the ball and score in impressive aerial fashion. Field converted his own try to level the scores at 6-6.
That scoreline remained unchanged heading into half-time, with both sides trading sets in a tightly contested first half.
North Sydney made the first statement after the break. The Bears marched downfield before Lachlan Hails darted out of dummy-half and powered his way over the line in the 42nd minute. Field converted to give the visitors their first lead of the afternoon at 12-6.
Momentum swung back Canberra’s way midway through the half. With the Bears under pressure on their own line, the Raiders shifted right where Preston Smallwood deceived the defence with a clever dummy before sliding over closer to the posts in the 52nd minute. Anderson converted to level the scores once again.
Moments later Canberra seized control of the match in spectacular fashion. Attempting to build pressure, the Bears launched a floating kick towards the right corner, but Raiders fullback Kye Anderson soared above the pack to snatch the ball in mid-air. Spotting open space, Anderson raced the length of the field to score and briefly give Canberra the lead. The conversion attempt drifted wide, leaving the Raiders ahead 16-12.
The contest took another dramatic turn soon after when Bears forward Strantz Schaumkel was sent to the sin bin in the 47th minute, briefly leaving the visitors a man down as Canberra attempted to capitalise on the numerical advantage.
However, North Sydney responded strongly. With pressure building on the Raiders' defence, Hails launched a floating kick towards the corner. Under pressure, Raiders winger Reece Josephson fumbled the ball backwards, allowing Leon Burns to react first and dive on the loose ball to level the scores. Hayden Moynihan converted to edge the Bears back in front at 18-16.
The Bears continued to push late in the contest, and their persistence paid off in the final minutes. Launching a short-side raid to the right edge, North Sydney shifted the ball to winger Jordan Ercegovic, who tiptoed down the sideline before cutting back infield to dive over and seal the match.
Tempers flared once more in the closing stages with Raiders forward Zildjian Tafili sent to the sin bin, allowing the Bears to finish the match firmly on the front foot. Field later added a penalty goal in the dying seconds to extend the final margin to 24-16.
Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup
Brookfield double lifts Sharks in late comeback at Cronulla
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat the Illawarra Steelers 18-14 in Round Five of the Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup at Cronulla High School on Saturday.
Illawarra made the perfect start, opening the scoring inside the first couple of minutes. After earning a penalty late in the tackle count, the Steelers set up deep in attacking territory before Ally Hamilton produced a classy show-and-go, backing her footwork to slice through the defence and score left of the posts in the second minute. Charlotte Nicolson converted to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.
Hamilton struck again just 12 minutes later in near-identical fashion. Taking on the line with confidence, she slipped through defenders with nimble footwork to grab her second try of the afternoon in the 14th minute, extending the Steelers’ advantage to 10-0 after the conversion attempt went wide.
Tempers flared midway through the half with the sin bins beginning to play a role in the contest. Sharks forward Milla Caine was sent for 10 minutes in the 24th minute before Steelers forward April Gray followed her in the 31st minute, briefly reducing both sides to 12.
The breakthrough finally came for Cronulla-Sutherland just before half-time. A powerful charge from Manawanui James put the Sharks into scoring contention and from there the ball was shifted right. Spotting a gap in the line, halfback Julliana Kolio took matters into her own hands, darting through the defence to score just right of the posts in the 33rd minute. Ella Ropata converted to cut the deficit to 10-6 heading into the break.
Illawarra extended their lead early in the second half through Kiara Kostovski. After sustained pressure on the Sharks’ line, the Steelers shifted the play short where Kostovski stepped past the Sharks centre and raced through untouched in the 45th minute to score in the left corner. The missed conversion kept the margin at eight points, 14-6.
However, the momentum soon swung dramatically. Cronulla found their spark through hooker Koffi Brookfield, who produced a moment of brilliance in the 50th minute. Spotting a gap around the ruck, Brookfield darted out of dummy-half before twisting through defenders to plant the ball under the posts. Ropata converted to reduce the margin to just two points.
The pressure continued to mount on the Steelers' defence, who were further hampered when Daisy Bohringer was sent to the sin bin shortly before the hour mark. With the clock winding down, Brookfield delivered once again.
After building pressure with a full attacking set on the Steelers' line, the Sharks looked to shift the ball left from dummy-half. Instead, Brookfield backed herself again burrowing into the defensive line and forcing her way over right of the posts in the 58th minute to complete the comeback. Ropata calmly slotted the conversion to give Cronulla the 18-14 lead.
Brookfield’s late double proved decisive, while Ropata’s perfect three-from-three conversion record ensured Cronulla-Sutherland capitalised on their opportunities in a thrilling Round Five contest.
Laurie Daley Cup
Knights overcome early Roosters pressure to claim Round Six victory
The Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights secured a hard-fought 20-12 victory over the Central Coast Roosters in Round Six of the Laurie Daley Cup at Woy Woy Oval on Saturday, overturning an early deficit to take control before half-time.
The Roosters made the perfect start in front of their home crowd, striking within the opening minutes. From a scrum feed deep in attacking territory, the Roosters shifted the ball right where Eli Bennett sliced straight through the defensive line on the edge to score the first try of the match. Jack Dean-Potaka converted to give Central Coast an early 6-0 lead.
Newcastle responded strongly soon after. A powerful charge through the middle from Jazz Schumacher put the Knights on the front foot, and from the following play Charlie Jones capitalised. Jones stepped off his outside foot, beating two defenders before crossing just left of the posts in the 12th minute. Callum Elsley added the conversion to level the scores.
The Roosters regained the lead shortly after with another slick attacking play. After initially probing the right edge, Central Coast swept the ball back left on the fourth tackle where Ronan Hope burst through the line. Showing impressive speed and composure, Hope sold a dummy to his winger which fooled the Knights’ fullback, allowing him to glide through and score. Dean-Potaka again converted to restore the Roosters’ advantage at 12-6.
The Knights began to build momentum midway through the half. With the Roosters defending deep in their own territory, Newcastle shifted right before bringing the ball back inside to Jazz Schumacher, who ran onto a short ball close to the line. Schumacher powered forward, driving his legs through contact to force his way over the line and level the scores once again after Elsley’s conversion.
The visitors then seized the lead with one of the more impressive attacking plays of the match. Kyron Nixon-Croaker fired a quick short ball to Justice Heta, who managed to flick the ball away while being tackled. The pass was tipped on to Ethan Osborn, creating space on the edge where winger Asher Pung dived over in the corner to give Newcastle their third try. Elsley maintained his perfect record with the boot to push the Knights ahead 18-12.
A penalty goal to Elsley late in the first half extended the margin to eight points, sending Newcastle into the break with a 20-12 lead.
With no further points added after half-time, the Knights’ strong first-half surge proved enough to secure the victory and continue their push in the Laurie Daley Cup competition.
Click here for results from the Andrew Johns Cup.
Click here for results from the Westpac Regional Lisa Fiaola Cup.
Click here for results from the UNE Harold Matthews Cup.
Click here for results from the Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup.
Click here for results from the Laurie Daley Cup.
Click here for results from the Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup.
Click here for results from the UNE SG Ball Cup.
