By Claire Stegbauer
With finals fast approaching the stakes are rising in the NSWRL’s metropolitan Junior Reps competitions, following an exciting conclusion to the regional Grand Finals over the weekend.
Warriors edge Rabbitohs in last-minute thriller to claim top spot
The Warriors have climbed to the top of the UNE Harold Matthews Cup ladder after a dramatic 20-18 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Navigation Home Stadium, Pukekohe.
The Warriors snatched the win in the dying seconds, leaving the Rabbitohs heartbroken and pushing them to seventh position. A win against the Bulldogs next week will see them remain in the top eight and in finals contention.
The Warriors wasted no time asserting themselves, with Kaian Olsen crossing for the first try in just the seventh minute. Alapati Tusa Soagia converted, giving the home side an early 6-0 lead.
South Sydney hit back quickly through Charlie Bateup (11’), and with Payton Tarau’s successful conversion the scores were locked at 6-6. The Warriors responded through Jeremiah Lemana (17’), edging ahead once more before the Rabbitohs' James Davies (27’) found his way over to put Souths in front 12-10 at the break.
Momentum swung again as Olsen bagged his second try (37’), reclaiming the lead for the Warriors at 14-12. But the Rabbitohs refused to go away, and with just three minutes left Keone Anitelea Tsioussis crashed over (57’), with Tarau converting to give Souths an 18-14 lead.
Just as it looked like the Rabbitohs would hold on, the Warriors produced one final surge. Hinckley Ioka crossed in the dying seconds (60’), and Soagia calmly slotted the crucial conversion to complete the comeback, sealing a 20-18 victory.
The UNE Harold Matthews Cup also delivered some surprise upsets this week, with the Steelers’ long winning streak ending—costing them top spot—while the Central Coast Roosters slipped to third after a tough loss to the Eels.
Steelers surge in second half to stun Eels
The Illawarra Steelers produced a stunning second-half comeback to push past the Parramatta Eels 16-10 in a thrilling Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup Round Eight clash at Eric Tweedale Stadium.
After being held scoreless in the first half, the Steelers found another gear after the break to claim an impressive road victory, keeping their Premiership dreams alive and staying in second place.
Parramatta started with intent, breaking through the Illawarra defence in the 14th minute when Tess McWilliams crossed for the opening try. Dallis Graham-Withell converted, giving the Eels an early 6-0 lead. They doubled their advantage before the break, with Armarni-Lea Auvae (27’) crashing over to send the home side into half-time with a 10-0 advantage.
After struggling for momentum in the opening half, the Steelers flipped the script in the second. Billie Va’a (31') sparked the comeback with a powerful run to score, and Trinity Tauaneai added the extras to reduce the margin to 10-6.
With confidence growing, the visitors struck again through Kiara Kostovski (37'), levelling the game at 10-10 and setting up a grandstand finish. The Eels fought hard to regain control, but the Steelers' defensive resilience held firm.
With just minutes left, Seriah Palepale (56') delivered the match-winning moment, crashing over to put the Steelers ahead for the first time. Makayla McFayden slotted the conversion, sealing a 16-10 victory.
Eels extend their dominance with commanding win over Bears
The Parramatta Eels have continued their dominant run at the top of the UNE SG Ball Cup ladder with an impressive 38-4 victory over the North Sydney Bears at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.
Having now sat at the top for three consecutive weeks, the Eels have been near unstoppable winning seven of their last eight games. With finals looming, they are emerging as the team to beat and are firmly in contention for the trophy.
For the first 30 minutes the scoreboard remained blank, with the rain making handling difficult. However, the Eels eventually found their stride, with Christopher Petrus crossing for the first try in the 30th minute.
Lorenzo Talataina quickly followed up with another try just four minutes later, and Andes Johansson added a third try in the 36th minute to give Parramatta a 10-0 lead at half-time.
The second half was a complete display of Parramatta's offensive power, with Lachlan Coinakis (45'), Nathan Howlett (48'), and Lorima Saukuru (53') all finding the try-line in quick succession. By the 60th minute, the Eels were comfortably ahead 32-0.
The Bears broke the shutout in the 58th minute with a try from Buster Hindmarsh, but Aidan Kebourian quickly responded for the Eels, crossing in the 60th minute to seal the win with Parramatta's seventh try of the match.
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 UNE SG Ball Cup.
Click here for results from the Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup.
