Pushing through sweltering conditions, the young Sharks showed promise in their respective trials on Saturday as they continued to build steam ahead of the junior representative seasons.
The scoreboard was an afterthought, with the coaches again deploying extended squads and testing various combinations, but the results were as follows:
Trials at Hillier Oval - Saturday, January 13
Harold Matthews Cup (under 17s men)
Sharks 4 tries lost to Wests 5 tries
There remains room for improvement, namely in the way of rectifying unforced errors and ill-discipline, but coach Brad Kelly was largely happy with what his players produced.
"There were definitely some patches where we were better and ... we were able to execute in some parts of the game," Kelly said.
"I reckon the heat and fatigue definitely played a factor there as well for both teams … It was a chance to get them all on the field and playing again.
"It's a bit of a balancing act between giving everyone enough time to play but also trying to build combinations as well."
SG Ball Cup (19s men)
Sharks 4 tries drew with Wests 4 tries
Up against a physically imposing, hard-running Wests outfit, the Sharks didn't shirk their task. Cohesion is still building, with many players pulling on the club's jersey for the first time on Saturday, but the signs are positive.
"It's another week of work and education for the boys and hopefully we progress and get better next weekend and then ready for round one," coach Dave Howlett said.
Lisa Fiaola Cup (17s women)
Sharks 1 try lost to Wests Tigers 3 tries
Despite being slightly down on numbers with some players still on holiday, coach Robbie Taylor was pleased with his team's commitment, particularly without the ball.
"Really proud of how we went out there," he said.
"We worked a lot in pre-season on defence and we showed we can go alright defensively when it matters. Tigers are a big side, a lot of energy, so we had to aim up."
Tarsha Gale Cup (women's 19s)
Sharks 6 tries beat Wests Tigers 0
Coach Isaac Michael was delighted that his squad competed hard and maintained their communication under fatigue in the heat.
"Once we got into our rhythm, worked on our roles and worked hard for each other with our push-support, we got that ruck moving and the game became a little bit easier for us," Michael said.
"We've got that mentality where we're always pushing for each other and always ready to take the next carry. We're working hard for each other the whole game."
Under 16s Academy (men)
Sharks 4 tries drew with Macarthur Wests Tigers 4 tries
After a hot start, the Sharks somewhat faded as the contest wore on. While the Sharks used around 20 players, their opponents played a fresh team in each third.
"I thought overall we did OK. Our first 20 (minutes) was our best and we played really well, controlled the field position and the ball," coach Paul Gallen said.
"After that, we didn't play that well, to be honest. We made a lot of silly errors, a lot of poor discipline and they came right back into it.
"It was a good test for them. They were a big, strong team, Wests, and they had some good skill … It was a good game."
Under 18s Academy (men)
Sharks 7 tries beat Macarthur Wests Tigers 3 tries
It was a case of nailing the basics as the under-18s Academy team impressively dictated terms for the majority of the contest.
"We went well. The boys played good, simple footy, the 'run hard' and 'tackle hard' was strong all game, and they backed that up with a good kick-chase as well," coach Jared Starr said.
"They just won the momentum battle of the game … They just did all the little things really well. I thought the effort was really good in this heat."
CLICK HERE for a photo gallery of the action.
Quotes and photos courtesy of Steve Montgomery from ourfootyteam.com.au
