Junior Reps Preview: Finals Week Two
Cronulla's two remaining junior representative teams can book a place in their grand finals with wins at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.
The Brad Kelly-coached under-17 Harold Matthews boys face Western Suburbs at 11am, while Isaac Michael's under-19 Tarsha Gale girls meet the Steelers at 2pm.
Both squads have produced outstanding campaigns. The Matts finished the nine-round regular season in fourth place, then completed an amazing second-half comeback against the Roosters last week to progress to their semi-final.
The Tarsha Gale side entered the playoffs as the lowest-ranked team but pulled off a gutsy victory over the highly fancied Indigenous Academy. They'll look to continue their giant-killing ways as they tackle an undefeated Illawarra outfit.
Read on for a preview of each match.
Harold Matthews Cup
Match: Magpies v Sharks
Semi Final -
home Team
Magpies
away Team
Sharks
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
The Sharks have done it the hard way in their past two games, overturning an 18-point deficit to shock the Roosters in Round 9 and repeating the feat in an elimination final. Coach Kelly will no doubt take confidence from the fact his troops have the resilience and attacking firepower to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but he'll hope for a much faster start against Western Suburbs.
Having finished second, the Magpies earned a pass straight through to the semi-finals. Come game day it will have been more than three weeks since their last match – if they show any rust, Cronulla will aim to capitalise early.
If further motivation was needed, the Harold Matthews Sharks were beaten in the grand final by Western Suburbs in 2022. The teams haven't clashed this season.
Tarsha Gale Cup
Match: Steelers v Sharks
Semi Final -
home Team
Steelers
away Team
Sharks
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
On paper, it seems a hard ask for the Tarsha Gale Sharks to turn the tables on an imposing Steelers side that defeated them 38-4 to conclude the regular season.
But coach Michael's troops can't be discounted, showing impressive defensive grit in a 24-6 victory over the Roosters-affiliated Indigenous Academy, who had lost just one game all season (against Illawarra) until that point.
Crucially for Cronulla, key front-rower Koreti Leilua, who scored in week one of the finals, didn't take the field when they last faced the Steelers.
Her presence in the middle is sure to inspire belief amongst the group as they attempt to cause another boilover en route to qualifying for the big dance.
