Harold Matts Win Through to Grand Final Qualifier; Flegg Smash Bulldogs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ Harold Matthews Cup team will join their older brethren, the SG Ball Cup team, in a Grand Final Qualifier next weekend having defeated the minor premiership-winning Illawarra Steelers in week two of the NSWRL junior representative finals.
Meanwhile the Rabbitohs’ Jersey Flegg Cup team had a thumping win over the Bulldogs on Good Friday, however the NSW Cup team were humbled by Canterbury-Bankstown at Accor Stadium.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs Harold Matthews Cup under 17s boys’ team sealed a spot in the preliminary finals of their competition with a thrilling 18-14 victory at Leichhardt Oval on Easter Saturday.
The Rabbitohs trailed 10-8 at the half time break following a first half try to winger Dennishely Taukafa and were trailing 14-8 with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.
A try to fullback Darcy Feltham brought the Rabbitohs within two points of the Steelers with nine minutes remaining on the clock.
With just over two minutes remaining in the match and the Rabbitohs attacking the Illawarra line, lock Keone Anitelea Tsioussis put in a pin-point cross-field kick which was snatched out of the air by centre Clayton McGoon who got the ball down to give the Rabbitohs the lead in the dying moments of the match.
The Steelers were attacking in the Rabbitohs 20-metre zone in the final two minutes but South Sydney’s defence was good enough to hold them out to record a hard-fought victory.
It was an extremely gutsy performance from the 17 young men representing the Rabbitohs in this match. Halfback Charlie Bateup controlled the game and was ably assisted throughout the match by Feltham, McGoon, Anitelea Tsioussis, second rower Diezel Guillonta, five-eighth Payton Tarau and interchange player Jayden Rooke.
The seventh-placed Rabbitohs will move on to play the third-placed Warriors at Redfern Oval on Sunday 27 April at 10am for a berth in the Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final. This match will be followed by the SG Ball Cup preliminary final between the third-placed South Sydney Rabbitohs and the minor premiership-winning Parramatta Eels at 11:30am.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 (Dennishely Taukafa, Darcy Feltham, Clayton McGoon tries; Payton Tarau 3 goals) defeated Illawarra Steelers 14
The South Sydney Rabbitohs Jersey Flegg Cup under 21s men’s team defeated the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30 points to six on Good Friday at Belmore Sports Ground, securing their second victory of the season.
Scores were locked at six-all after 30 minutes, but the Rabbitohs would go on to score 24 unanswered points to put the ‘Dogs to the sword on their home turf.
Wingers Daniel Wright and Haizyn Mellars, fullback Dane Towns, middle forwards Sione Lolohea and Jason Hallie, and second rower Josh Alhazim were the Rabbitohs best.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 (Daniel Wright, Jason Hallie, Ben Geary, Nathaniel Gallo, Riley Frame tries; Brent Hawkins 5 goals) defeated Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6
The South Sydney Rabbitohs NSW Cup men’s team had an afternoon to forget on the scoreboard, going down 62 points to 18 on Good Friday at Accor Stadium.
Halfback Ashton Ward, second rower Thomas Fletcher and winger Max Lehmann crossed for tries, but it was not enough to combat the 11 tries scored by the Bulldogs.
Fletcher and interchange forward Matt French were the Rabbitohs’ best.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 62 defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 (Ashton Ward, Thomas Fletcher, Max Lehmann tries; Bayleigh Bentley-Hape 3 goals)
