Vital wins for Roosters men’s junior representative teams.
S.G. Ball Cup (Men’s Under 19s)
The Sydney Roosters S.G. Ball Cup team have picked up two vital competition points in beating the fourth placed Balmain Tigers in their Round 7 clash at Lilyfield. Despite missing three of their first-choice spine players, the Roosters were in superb form through the first half, racing to a 30-4 half time lead, scoring six tries, three to left side backrow forward Darcy Smith.
The lead was set up by some great carries from the Roosters starting middle forwards Kanaan Magele, Itula Seve and Joshua Fesolai and some very slick work from the Roosters outside backs, led by fullback Jackson Stewart. It was also the best ball control by the Roosters this season.
After scoring early in the second half, the Roosters ball control dipped considerably and the Tigers fought their way back into the game. However, the Roosters steadied late in the game to run out winners 36-22.
The Roosters remain in seventh place but are just one point behind third placed Melbourne and with the Tigers and Steelers playing each other in Round 9, the Roosters should secure a finals berth (Top 6) if they can win both their final two matches (against 8th placed Bulldogs and 12th placed New Zealand Warriors).
This Saturday’s clash with the Bulldogs at Mascot Oval is the first of those pre-finals clashes.
Harold Matthews Cup (Men’s Under 17s)
The Sydney Roosters Harold Matthews Cup team have moved into fourth place on the competition ladder with a 28-16 victory over the Canberra Raiders in Belconnen. The Roosters raced to an 18-0 lead inside the first ten minutes, through tries to hooker Payton Gifford, left centre Bastion Armstrong and captain Jeziah Papa, playing right centre.
However, by the 25th minute the Roosters lead was cut to just two, through three Raiders tries in six minutes and at half time the Roosters led just 18-16.
The Roosters defended resolutely through the second half, and two line breaks from the Roosters centres led to two second half tries, one to halfback Lachlan Metcalfe from a bust by Bastion Armstrong and a second one to right centre Jeziah Papa, his second of the game. The match was held up for over 40 minutes in the second half due to a sprinkler issue with the Roosters leading 24-16 but on resumption Papa scored the final try to give the Roosters a 28-16 win.
With 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th all on the same number of competition points, the Sydney Roosters are still in a precarious position on the table with matches against first placed Illawarra (home) and third placed New Zealand Warriors (away) to come. The Roosters will need to win at least one of those game to qualify for the Top 6.
The clash against the Steelers is on this Saturday at Mascot Oval.
The Central Coast Roosters Harold Matthews team have held on to a Top Two spot on the competition table with a thumping 34-0 victory over the 17th placed Melbourne Storm at Berkley Vale.
The Roosters scored five first half tries to lead the Storm 26-0 at the break. By the 42nd minute the home team was ahead 34-0 but that is where the scoring ended for the day. Roosters outside backs Semi Leweniqila and Zaylen Ekepati both scored doubles. Ekapati had a very strong game at fullback.
The Roosters final two pre-finals games are against ten-time champions Parramatta (8th) and three-time champions Penrith (16th). This Saturday the Central Coast Roosters travel to Granville to play Parramatta.
Tarsha Gale Cup (Women’s Under 19s)
The Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy Tarsha Gale Cup team have suffered a loss at the hands of Cronulla-Sutherland at Cronulla on Saturday to slip out of the Top Six. The Roosters were beaten 26-18 after leading the Sharks 18-6 at half time. Lack of ball control in the second half proved very costly to the Roosters as it has on a number of occasions this season.
The Roosters will now need to win both their remaining matches to play finals in 2025. This Sunday they’ll play 13th placed Manly-Warringah at Narrabeen before playing 2nd placed Illawarra at Woy Woy in the final round.
Lisa Fiaola Cup (Women’s Under 17s)
The Central Coast Roosters have suffered their first loss of the season, going down 14-12 to Cronulla-Sutherland at Cronulla. Both teams scored three tries but the Roosters missed all three goal attempts to suffer the unexpected loss.
After a two-week break leading into the game, the Roosters appeared very rusty and made a number of uncharacteristic errors. With Parramatta also suffering their first loss of the season (to the Wests Tigers), the Roosters remain in second place with two matches remaining.
The Roosters play 12th placed Manly-Warringah on Sunday before facing 7th placed Illawarra in the final round.
Laurie Daley Cup (Men’s Regional Under 18s)
Competition completed for the Central Coast Roosters.
Andrew Johns Cup (Men’s Regional Under 16s)
Competition completed for the Central Coast Roosters.
See the latest results below for all the Junior Representative sides:
| Competition | Home Team | Away Team | Match Info | Next Round | Ladder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.G. Ball Cup | Balmain Tigers (22) | Sydney Roosters (36) | Match Stats | v Bulldogs | 7th |
| Harold Matthews Cup | Canberra Raiders (16) | Sydney Roosters (28) | Match Stats | v Steelers | 4th |
| Harold Matthews Cup | Central Coast Roosters (34) | Melbourne Storm (0) | Match Stats | v Eels | 2nd |
| Tarsha Gale Cup | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (26) | Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy (18) | Match Stats | v Sea Eagles | 7th |
| Lisa Fiola Cup | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (14) | Central Coast Roosters (12) | Match Stats | v Sea Eagles | 2nd |
| Laurie Daly Cup | Competition complete for the Central Coast Roosters. | ||||
| Andrew Johns Cup | Competition complete for the Central Coast Roosters. | ||||
