With three games at Ironmark High Performance Centre and two at Belmore sports ground, it was a mixed day of results for the Rabbitohs juniors.
It was a strong start to the day for the South Sydney, with both the Harold Matthews and SG Ball walking away with convincing wins.
The Tarsha Gale cup side showed massive improvement and dominated the majority of the game, before they were undone by a late surge from the Raiders outfit.
Over at Belmore, although both displayed signs of growth, they were both defeated sides going down to the Bulldogs.
Harold Matthews Cup
After a back and forth opening period, the Rabbitohs marched away with an impressive victory to kick off proceedings at Ironmark High Performance Centre.
The Rabbitohs started off hot after a brilliant run from Bailey Smith found him in open space and after a good offload to Joseph Teaupa he looked destined to score before being brought down by the Bears defence
South Sydney converted on its early momentum when the captain Daniel Wright crashed over for the first try of the day in the 4th minute.
North Sydney fought back hard following the opening try and were rewarded for their efforts as Marshall Le Maitre burrowed his way inches from the try line to level proceedings in the 15th minute.
Both sides struggled to get through sets in the back end of the first half with numerous interceptions and loose carries plagued both times.
With just minutes remaining before the break, Zane Rugless went down and was assisted off in what looked to be a serious injury to his knee.
As the seconds ticked down the Rabbitohs gained a massive advantage, when Yasin Kuscu found open space in the corner for a late try – courtesy of a brilliant cut-out pass from Teaupa.
The hosts went into the break leading the Bears 10-6.
In another blow for the Harold Matthews’ side, Kuscu was helped off after suffering a suspected collar bone injury and did not return.
After a slow start to the half for both sides, South Sydney broke through in the 50th minute for its third try of the day.
Bailey Smith capped off an impressive outing when he caught the Bears defence off guard, crashing over from dummy-half.
Joseph Teaupa had a notable outing, having his hand in all three tries and lifting his die in defence with some monster hits.
Bailey Smith showed his class at dummy-half, becoming a threat every time he neared the Bears line, he capped off his performance with the final try of the night.
Lenox Risati and Mateus Heslin led the team going forward, getting through a mountain of work on both ends.
Overall, it was a workmanlike performance that the team should be proud of, holding out an equally impressive Bears side.
SG Ball Cup
The SG Ball Cup side played undoubtedly their best game of the season in a 36-22 win over the North Sydney Bears.
The match began in a rapid and aggressive manner, with both sides pushing the limits and speeding through sets in an attempt to gain the upper hand.
It was the Bears who struck first after Joseph Jaber found himself on the end of a perfectly placed kick for the opener.
On the back of an excellent run from Deon Iro, the Bears found their second on the wing through Tyrone Munro after a selfless pass from Aaron Macey.
With just ten minutes left in the half South Sydney found a way back into the game on the heels of a well-timed kick that bounced perfectly into the hands of Thomas Fletcher for a four-pointer under the sticks.
As the momentum began to shift in favour of the hosts, they levelled the score just minutes later when Terrell Kalokalo broke through three defenders to get himself over for a try.
It was a frustrating end to the half as both sides conceding possession in try-scorer areas.
The Rabbitohs went into the break up 12-10.
South Sydney looked the better side in the second and displayed their strength in the opening period with its third unanswered try.
On the back of an incredible solo chip and chase from Tyrone Munro, Kalokalo broke through for his second try of the day.
The Bears fought its way back into the game after a perfect kick from Cooper Maytom (good day with the boot) picked out Benet Maalo in the corner to get his side back within two.
With the game hanging in the balance, Kalokalo stepped up for his third and most impressive try of the day.
The rapid fullback cut inside from 20 metres out, beating the majority of the left edge defence from the Bears as he cruised past and under the black dot sealing his hat trick.
The Rabbitohs extended the lead just minutes later after an inspiring run from skipper Louis Grossemy saw him break three tackles and steam-roll his way over.
As the game neared the final whistle it seemed like the hosts would walk away with a convincing win, until seemingly out of nowhere Darcy Brettle broke through the line and got the Bears back in the game with a four-pointer.
Any hope of a late comeback from North Sydney was ruled out when Thomas Fletcher forced his way through the Bears defence for his second try of the game.
Terrell Kalokalo showed his superstar potential with an incredible hat trick, the young fullback starred for the Rabbitohs and will be sure to push up the grades as the season progresses.
Tyrone Munro had an impressive outing, showing his game changing ability from the wing.
Louis Grossemy led from the front and showed his abilities as the captain of the side, alongside Thomas Fletcher who had a double in the second-row.
Tarsha Gale Cup
The Tarsha Gale Cup side was incredibly unlucky to not walk away with their first win of the season, after conceding a last-second try to the Raiders.
The Rabbitohs kicked off proceedings in a dominant fashion with Yilara Winders being held upon the try-line on several occasions in the opening minutes.
After being continually denied by a valiant Canberra defence, Kasey Taaffe found the opener for the Rabbitohs after running through an exposed hole in the defence metres from the line.
Shyla Mundine capped of a dominant half for the Rabbitohs as she crashed over the Raiders defence to send the host into the break with a two try buffer.
On the back of some impressive work from the forwards, notably Yilara Winders and Shyla Mundine on the edge, the Rabbitohs had plenty of reasons to be confident heading into the final half an hour of play.
It was a dream start to the second half with Lillah Hoffman intercepting a pass from the halfway line and running alone to score under the black dot.
The Raiders began showing signs of life in the second, forcing the Rabbitohs into some unwanted errors when coming out of their own line.
After camping in the Rabbitohs end of the field, Canberra were finally rewarded when Alanna Dummett crossed over, giving them a shot at a comeback.
With the momentum firmly in their corner, the Raiders put the score within one try when Hunter Ings found space down the line and crashed over in spectacular fashion avoiding the sideline by centre metres.
Late drama as April Downey broke down the Rabbitohs defence in the final minutes leaving the fans with a grandstand finish.
With a chance to tie the game with a converted kick, Makayla Morris stood up narrowly missed the sticks, leaving the Rabbitohs with a two-point lead with under two minutes remaining.
With seconds left the Raiders got a penalty in front of the Rabbitohs line and with the final play of the game, Morris passed to Tikirah-Ann Douglas who scored on the buzzer.
The Rabbitohs were heartbroken as the game they were destined to win slipped away from their hands.
Avalon Pallier had an incredible display in defence with two try saving tackles as the Rabbitohs held off the Raiders early in the second.
Parker Stanton showed plenty of energy in defence, getting out of her line to put her stamp on the game.
Yilara Winders proved her strength early in the game, causing plenty of headaches for the Raiders defence and creating plenty of space for her teammates.
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg side fell to a Bulldogs side that outperformed the Rabbitohs on the day.
Poor discipline with the ball in hand and conceding to many penalties became the difference maker as the Bulldogs capitalised after an impressive first-half.
Samuel Kanaan opened the scoring for the Bulldogs in the 7th minute, before he doubled his sides lead 10 minutes later.
The Bulldogs threatened on numerous occasions and were rewarded for their efforts when Compton Fuatimau crossed over the line.
With the game hanging in the balance Evan Manning stepped up for the Rabbitohs and got his sides first try of the afternoon in the 31st minute.
Jake Tobin showed his class scoring a well-earned double within five minutes.
The fullback brought his side back into the game and gave the Rabbitohs plenty of confidence of walking away from Belmore with the win.
However as the errors began to pile up for the visitors, the Bulldogs proved their class and ran away with the game.
With tries from Bailey Hayward, Compton Fuatimau and Judda Turahui within 10 minutes, the hosts capitalised on their completion of sets to walk away with the win.
Tallis Duncan played above his age at lock, getting through a mountain of defence and leading the way going forward.
Keahlan Bray excelled in his debut game, wasting no time getting to grips with his new side and steered the ship in a stellar outing.
Tommy Giles impressed in the forward pack, encouraging his forwards to get going with his monstrous runs forward.
NSW Cup
In the final game of the day, the NSW Cup side went try for try in an incredibly close encounter.
The Rabbitohs showed remarkable improvement from their trial game in Mudgee against the Dragons.
South Sydney was dealt a big blow in the early stages as Trent Peoples was taken off for a HIA and didn’t return.
Eli Clark opened the scoring for the Bulldogs in the 15th minute as they were full of confidence in the opening period.
The Rabbitohs answered back shortly after Izaac Thompson crossed over for his first of the day.
Richard Kennar got the visitors in the lead with an impressive four-pointer as the duel for the lead ensued.
Declan Casey got the Bulldogs back on par before Malia Chan-Foon got the Rabbitohs back ahead.
As the first half ended it was tough to tell who had the upper hand with the sides struggling to hold onto the lead for long periods of the first half.
Creedence Toia came out of the blocks flying in the second half with a try in the opening minutes.
With the game heading down to the wire, Jacob Kiraz seemingly sealed the game for the hosts with his try in the 73rd minute.
Izaac Thompson crossed the line in the final seconds of the game, giving the Rabbitohs a deserved consolidation for their efforts.
Davvy Moale had an impressive game playing massive minutes and laying the platform for his fellow forwards.
Shannon Gardiner replaced Peoples at lock, playing in a somewhat unfamiliar position, Gardiner stepped up massively and filled the hole.
Isaiah Tass had a notable outing in his first game after coming back from injury, he showed great signs of potential and is sure to put pressure on the first-grade backs as the season goes on.
Head of pathways Joe O’Callaghan was impressed with all the sides today and noted the massive improvement from all the teams.
“They [NSW Cup side] showed they learnt a lot from the Mudgee trial, they had more enthusiasm defensively,
“If they keep going on that trajectory, I’m sure their first win will come sooner rather later, Dane Dorahy and his staff worked hard on this team throughout the week and it showed,” he said
“I appreciate how upset the girls would be, it’s the first game since the Knights three weeks ago, they turned it around and showed a strong performance,
“I want to give a massive wrap to Karen Stuart and her staff, they have made some really big improvement in their first year,” he said
“I’ve seen more than enough from Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup, in tough conditions like that they impressed, they’re gonna be more than competitive this season”.
