Wrapping up all the 2026 Semi-finals action from Sydney Shield and the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup.
St Marys surge to Grand Final day
St Marys Saints will now have the rare opportunity to claim both the Sydney Shield and the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup in the same season, after both teams ran away with dominant victories in their respective Major Semi-finals at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.
It was the Sydney Shield Grand Final qualifier that began the day’s action from 11 am, and the Saints, who finished top of the table in 2026, wasted no getting off to a strong start. Prop Titan Sega carried a handful of defenders over the line first, before halfback Frederick Peters stepped back inside from close range soon after. Tallis Brown converted both to lead 12-0.
From that point St Marys started playing more expansively before running in another two tries with Peters scoring his second, then fullback Riley Barglik supporting down the middle for a try of his own.
After some ill-discipline by Wenty Magpies saw two players sent off later in the first half, the space continued to open up for a Saints outfit already gathering momentum. They went into the break with a 38-6 lead.
It was more of the same in the second half as St Marys added to their tally, with Peters notching a fourth try and Barglik completing his hat-trick. Despite showing fight and picking up three more tries in the second half, the Magpies were unable to overcome deficit as the Saints recorded a 66-22 win.
The next Major Semi-final saw the second-placed Saints up against Ron Massey Cup Minor Premiers the Ryde-Eastwood Hawks, fresh from a Finals Week One bye.
Momentum from playing the week before appeared to work in favour of St Marys as the raced to half-time taking a 16-4 lead, with hooker Moustafa Dirani, centre Angelis Hotere-Papalii and back-rower Semisi Kioa all scoring tries.
The Saints produced four more unanswered tries once the second half began, courtesy of Connor Mason, Christian Crichton, Sam Lane, and Kioa with a second four-pointer.
Then with just under 15 minutes remaining, the unlikeliest of comebacks was on the cards as the Hawks came up with two quick tries, one of those being a rampaging run from a distance by forward Steve Tavita.
Ultimately the fightback wasn’t to be as Kioa ran in yet another St Marys try to round off his hat-trick, the 44-16 win, and a date at Campbelltown Stadium in two weeks for a Grand Final appearance alongside their Sydney Shield counterparts.
Comeback for the ages keeps Bulldogs alive
Staring down the barrel of a premature end to their 2026 campaign being 22-0 behind at half-time, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs rallied to produce one of comebacks of the year to claim a 30-22 win over Hills Bulls in the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup Minor Semi-final.
Finishing in fifth position, Hills Bulls were near-certain to continue their fairytale finals run if the first-half performance was any indication.
Within minutes Damon Smith darted over from dummy-half, then soon after centre Alfred Smalley busted through at halfway before running over the fullback and contending with two more tacklers to reach out and score. After five minutes of play the Bulls suddenly led 10-0.
At the 20-minute mark Smalley found himself on the end of a pinpoint grubber to score his second for the afternoon, but the deficit looked even more daunting for the Dogs when Raymond Tuaimalo-Vaega crossed in the minutes before half-time.
The Bulldogs came out of the sheds a different team, running in an incredible six tries without reply in the second half to snatch a memorable 30-22 victory.
Youngster and NSW Under 19s representative Jope Rauqe was first to score for the Dogs, while Damon Humphrys, Corey Ackers, Angus Fahey and Mikaele Senibua also crossed.
Humphrys himself was the standout for Canterbury-Bankstown, bagging a double along with three conversions as the Bulldogs won through to next week’s Preliminary Final against Ryde-Eastwood Hawks.
In the later sudden-death clash, the Sydney Shield Minor Semi-final, second-placed Mounties regained their season-long form with an ominous 38-10 victory over Penrith Brothers. They will now meet Wenty Magpies in next week’s Preliminary Final clash.
Click here for results from Sydney Shield.
Click here for results from the Leagues Clubs Australia Ron Massey Cup.
