All five Roosters junior representative teams have qualified for the finals with three of them making the Top 4 and earning a second chance if defeated in Week 1.
S.G. Ball Cup (Men’s Under 19s)
The Sydney Roosters S.G. Ball team, needing a win by 12 or more points to secure a Top 4 spot on the eve of the finals, have defeated the New Zealand Warriors by 16 in Auckland, winning 32-16 to finish the regular season in fourth spot.
The Roosters blew away the opposition early, racing to a 20-0 at half time, with tries to left edge Darcy Smith (his fifth try in the last three games), left centre Lui Lee, five eighth Tyson Walker interchange prop Itulu Seve.
Second half injuries to outside backs Lachlan Dooner and William Pappas severely disrupted the cohesion in the Roosters backline but the side did enough in the second half to prevent the Warriors from getting to within 12 of the Roosters score. Roosters second half tries were scored by Seve (his second of the game) and right edge James Finegan, who was amongst the Roosters best players on the day.
Once again, the Roosters prop rotation was too strong for their opponents, backed up by a very busy and creative back row. Injuries to Dooner and Pappas are concerning so late in the season, with the club already missing first choice full back Rex Bassingthwaite and captain and hooker Jaxson Allen. However, the Roosters have given themselves a real crack at a premiership in 2025.
In Week One of the finals the Roosters will play undefeated minor premiers the Parramatta Eels. The teams had a draw earlier in the season.
Harold Matthews Cup (Men’s Under 17s)
The Sydney Roosters Harold Matthews Cup team have pulled off a remarkable comeback to defeat competition leaders and defending premiers the New Zealand Warriors 26-24 in Auckland after the home side led 24-6 early in the second half. The win came just eight days after the Roosters had defeated previous competition leaders the Illawarra Steelers.
Down 24-6 minutes into the second half, after left centre Bastion Armstrong had scored the Roosters only first half try, the Roosters were staring a spot outside the Top 4 on the eve of the finals, before the comeback commenced.
With 25 minutes remaining and the Roosters trailing by 18, interchange forwards Kobe Siltala and Roman Leilua cleverly combined to send five eighth Charlie Webb racing away for the Roosters second try, and when converted the Roosters trailed 24-12.
Backup hooker Kalen Cashin was forced to play right wing with an injury to Cooper Moore and he filled in admirably in the unfamiliar position. With 20 minutes remaining Daniel Ibrahim and Jackson Rodwell combined on the right to put Cashin into the clear and when confronted by a number of defenders Cashin chipped over the top and regathered to score. It was unconverted and the Roosters lead was now 24-16. Twelve minutes later halves Charlie Webb and Lachlan Metcalfe combined on the right with Metcalfe throwing a lovely cut out pass for Cashin to score his second. Metcalfe converted the try and the Roosters trailed 24-22 with seven minutes remaining.
The Roosters were still behind with two minutes to go when a penalty was awarded giving them a chance to tie the scores up. However, after much discussion the Roosters turned down the opportunity to kick for goal and on play two after the penalty tap, halfback Lachlan Metcalfe through a dummy and ran past the Warriors defence to score the try that gave the Roosters the lead 26-24 for the first time in the match. After the conversion was missed there was just time for the kick off, which in spite of the Roosters not defusing it, took up the remaining seconds of play to hand the Roosters a memorable victory and advance them to an unlikely second place on the competition ladder. Captain Jeziah Papa, playing out of position at fullback had many fine moments, particularly in defence, and continued his good recent form.
The Roosters will again play the Warriors next Saturday, in a qualifying semi final.
The Central Coast Roosters Harold Matthews Cup team have suffered a second successive loss, going down 32-16 to Penrith at Windsor. The loss drops the Central Coast out of the Top Four and facing sudden death matches from here on in to keep their title hopes alive for 2025.
The Roosters struggled through the match with the Panthers, who sat in 16th place on the table prior to this round of matches, and couldn’t match the enthusiasm of their opponents. Once again, the Roosters were best served by halfback and captain Carter Mareko and fullback Zaylen Ekapati.
The Roosters elimination semi final will be against the in-form Parramatta Eels next Saturday.
Tarsha Gale Cup (Women’s Under 19s)
The Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy Tarsha Gale Cup team have gone down narrowly to competition leaders the Illawarra Steelers in their final round match in Woy Woy. The 26-24 loss has left the Roosters in 7th place and facing a meeting with 6th placed Newcastle Knights in the first week of the finals.
The Steelers led throughout but both teams scored five tries and the Roosters proved they can compete with the best of them with this performance. The Roosters went into the game without star right centre Tyra Ekipata but still created many opportunities, particularly down the Steelers left side defence.
Manisha Seebeck, the Roosters right winger crossed for three tries, taking her season tally to ten tries from seven games. Roosters hooker Mahlie Cashin was instrumental in another of the Roosters attack and will be a key player in the 2025 finals series.
The elimination final against Newcastle will be held on Saturday, 12th April.
Lisa Fiaola Cup (Women’s Under 17s)
The Central Coast Roosters Lisa Fiaola Cup team has completed its regular season matches with a strong 28-0 victory over the Illawarra Steelers at Woy Woy. It is the fifth time (in eight games) that the Roosters have kept their opponents scoreless and the sixth time they have kept them tryless. In eight matches the Roosters scored 62 tries and conceded just four to finish the regular season in second place.
Against the Steelers on Saturday the Roosters scored five tries, three in the opening fifteen minutes. The team now enter the finals series off the back of two convincing wins. Next Saturday’s qualifying semi final will be against the Parramatta Eels, a team the Roosters have yet to play this season.
Laurie Daley Cup (Men’s Regional Under 18s)
Competition completed for 2025 (Premiers: IIlawarra South Coast Dragons)
Andrew Johns Cup (Men’s Regional Under 16s)
Competition completed for 2025 (Premiers: Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights)
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 | New Zealand Warriors (16) | Sydney Roosters (32) | Match stats | Week 1 Finals | 4th |
| Harold Matthews Cup | New Zealand Warriors (24) | Sydney Roosters (26) | Match stats | Week 1 Finals | 2nd |
| Harold Matthews Cup | Penrith Panthers (32) | Central Coast Roosters (16) | Match stats | Week 1 Finals | 5th |
| Tarsha Gale Cup | Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy (24) | Illawarra Steelers (26) | Match stats | Week 1 Finals | 7th |
| Lisa Fiaola Cup | Central Coast Roosters (28) | Illawarra Steelers (0) | Match stats | Week 1 Finals | 2nd |
| Laurie Daley Cup | Competition Complete for the Central Coast Roosters | ||||
| Andrew Johns Cup | Competition Complete for the Central Coast Roosters |
