All you need to know from week four of the 2020 Junior Representative season.
Country competitions head to Bega
The Illawarra South Coast Dragons and Monaro Colts have played their Round 3 Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup fixtures at the Bega Recreation Ground as part of the EISS Super Sapphire Trial Tribute weekend.
The Andrew Johns Cup match was closely contested despite the Dragons’ 18-0 lead at the break that included a try-double to Jack Piccirilli. The Colts scored three tries of their own in the second half, but it was Piccirilli’s 100% conversion rate the saw the Dragons come away with an 18-14 win.
In the Laurie Daley Cup, Illawarra were simply too strong for Monaro on the way to a 44-18 victory. Centre Jayden Brody starred for the Dragons through tries in the 12th and 58th minute, while halfback Toby Peters recorded 16 points with six goals and one four-pointer.
74-point thriller in UNE SG Ball Cup
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles recorded their first win of the season in a high-scoring affair at Mascot Oval, defeating St George Illawarra 44-30.
From the second minute when Sea Eagles No. 7 Krystian Mapapalangi crossed first, at least one try was scored in every 10-minute period until the final whistle - a contest that truly could have gone either way.
While the visitors jumped to a 36-point lead early in the second half with a brace for Tolu Koula, the Dragons’ Benjamin Johnson and Callum Perryman led a resurgence by each scoring two tries of their own.
Despite a strong response from St George Illawarra, it was not enough to overcome a dominant Sea Eagles outfit en route to their opening victory of their 2020 campaign.
Petrovic trio gets Raiders home
A Joshua Petrovic hat-trick has inspired the Canberra Raiders’ UNE Harold Matthews Cup side to a 24-18 come-from-behind win over the Sydney Roosters at Henson Park.
The tri-colours were first on the scoreboard with tries to five-eighth Josh Durkin and prop Kakile Leha. Petrovic opened Canberra’s account five minutes later, before Roosters No. 2 Zac Sarfati extended the lead to 14-6 going into halftime.
Sarfati added to his tally in the 37th minute to put the Roosters further ahead, only for Petrovic to soon reply with his second four-pointer and keep the Raiders within range. Halfback Leroy Murray followed suit for Canberra’s fourth with a Samuel Gash conversion levelling the scores late on.
Enter Josh Petrovic. The Roosters were on the attack and destined to score from close in, until a stray offload was intercepted by Samuel Gash. He quickly handed off to the fleet-footed Petrovic, who ran 85 metres to score his third try and earn the Raiders a hard-fought away win.
Panthers prevail in battle of heavyweights
Glen Willow Oval in Mudgee hosted a top-of-the-table Andrew Johns Cup clash between the Western Rams and Penrith Panthers, which saw the visitors take the outright competition lead with a 30-16 victory.
The Rams had the biggest lead of the match at 16-0 after 20 minutes, courtesy of tries to Callum Johnson, William Malloy and Lachlan Lawson. Penrith’s fightback began in no time with two tries before the break through Jermaine McEwem and Jenson Tuaoi - 16-12 the halftime score.
The Panthers’ momentum continued into the early minutes of the second half as McEwem and Tuaoi completed a brace each. No. 14 Zaid Lehn secured the result with a 58th-minute try with McEwem’s fourth conversion rounding out the 14-point win.
Steelers victorious in local derby
The Illawarra Steelers have run out 26-10 winners over local rivals St George Dragons in the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup on Saturday, and it was more Teagan Berry brilliance that stole the show.
Berry has kept her place among the top of the try-scoring leaderboard alongside the Sharks’ Jaime Chapman after scoring her second hat-trick of the season, making for a total of seven tries in three matches.
The Steelers’ Viena Tinao opened the scoring in the 2nd minute followed by Ule-Mari Time-Cribb in the 5th. Berry scored her first of three 10 minutes later before St George responded through Breeze E’e in the 28th minute.
Illawarra clicked back into gear in the second half as Berry crossed again at the 34-minute mark. Centre Bienne Terita scored a late four-pointer for the Dragons, but it couldn’t stop the talismanic Berry from scoring her third try - and seventh of 2020 - just moments from full-time.
