Glebe came away with victories in both the Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup to begin their seasons in style, while the Ipswich Jets recorded a thumping victory over the Western Clydesdales.
Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup | Glebe Begin Winning Ways
It was a successful start to the season for the Glebe Dirty Reds, who registered wins over Hills Bulls in both the Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup.
The Reds won a see-sawing Shield encounter 26-22 off the back of a solid platform laid by middles Charles Vaka, Dean Kulevski and Casey Morgan. Skipper Connor Garetty directed play well and made some good defensive reads, helping stave off a late Hills comeback.
The Ron Massey win was far more convincing, with Glebe running in six tries to two to defeat Hills 35-10.
Lock Apisalome Saukuru turned in a man-of-the-match performance in his debut game for the Reds, while fullback Jade Anderson, hooker Craig Garvey and five-eighth Joe Taipari were among Glebe’s best.
Former Roosters NRL prop Kane Evans also impressed in his first game for the club.
Glebe will face the Ryde-Eastwood Hawks at Wentworth Park in both grades this Sunday afternoon.
Jersey Flegg Cup | Silktails Pipped by Rabbitohs
In their first match in Fiji for the 2024 season, the Kaiviti Silktails were narrowly beaten by the South Sydney Rabbitohs, 20-14.
The week started in a very positive manner with plenty of energy as the young players were excited about the opportunity to face the Rabbitohs at Churchill Park in Lautoka. Club management welcomed the visiting players and staff at Nadi International Airport on arrival, gifting out traditional Fijian Salu Salu.
Despite heavy rain, the weather failed to damper the spirits of the Silktails. The Rabbitohs started quickly with the first try for an early lead, before the Silktails struck back through hooker Seru Kalonivalu, before Souths went in again at the 19th minute to make it 12-6 scoreline at the break.
The second half started fast with the Silktails scoring first through Bili Taria in the first minute upon resumption, before Mosese Taramecegu touched down as the Silktails finished strongly, despite falling by six points in the end.
Chairman Petero Civonnceva and Head Coach Wes Naiqama expressed their pride in the effort following the contest, with many key takeaways and positives to build on in preparation for the Round 3 match against the St George Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Everyone walks a bit taller and prouder with a win, and it's a reflection of everyone's hard work and a lot of things are starting to come together for the club.
Ipswich Jets Head of Football Ben Cross
QLD Cup | Jets Record Breakthrough Victory
Meanwhile, in the QLD Cup, the Ipswich Jets recorded a breakthrough victory and their first in over one season with a thumping 36-16 defeat of the Western Clydesdales at Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba.
Halfback Kyle Foxwell was instrumental with three try assists and two tries, coupled with two linebreaks, while fullback Byron Johnson was strong at the back with 153 metres.
Meanwhile, forwards Jordan Penquitt and Max Bandit were strong up front with 230 metres combined.
Head of Football Ben Cross was humble following the historic victory, one that has gotten the Jets on the board for 2024.
"All in all it was a well polished performance," Cross said.
"Everyone walks a bit taller and prouder with a win, and it's a reflection of everyone's hard work and a lot of things are starting to come together for the club.
"We probably made it harder on ourselves by conceding a few six agains in our red zone, but we defended well on the back of that. We stuck to our game plan well and passed the ball a lot to fatigue them laterally.
"Once we got some momentum they couldn’t handle us, and defensively we weren’t broken down too much, just an individual error on one try and a scrappy play in the last play of the game."
Ipswich will take on reigning Premiers the Brisbane Tigers at Totally Workwear Stadium, Brisbane this week in their Round 3 clash.
