Sharks beaten by Bulldogs in SG Ball, Lisa Fiaola finals

A tough weekend for the junior Sharks began on Saturday with the SG Ball team eliminated by the Bulldogs before the Lisa Fiaola side fell to the same opponent in their qualifying final at Leichhardt Oval.

The disappointment continued on Sunday as the Tarsha Gale Sharks went down to the Eels, leaving the Fiaola squad as Cronulla's last remaining Junior Representative premiership hope ahead of a sudden-death clash with the Tigers this weekend.

Read on for SG Ball and Lisa Fiaola match reports.

SG Ball Sharks run down by Bulldogs

A 16-point half-time lead wasn't enough for the Sharks who were overrun by the Bulldogs 38-30 in a thrilling SG Ball elimination final at Leichhardt Oval.

The opening exchanges were characterised by poor discipline from both teams before the Bulldogs struck through winger Paul Johnson in the third minute. An unsuccessful conversion by five-eighth Alex Conti kept the score at 4-0.

Off the back of a dropout, Canterbury second-rower Solomone Tupou posted another four points in the ninth minute. 

Building momentum with consistent sets, Cronulla front-rower Hudson Frost barged his way over in the 19th minute to get the Sharks on the board. Playmaker Callum Grantham converted to bring the score to 8-6.

A break down the wing by Elijah Paea and an inside ball to centre Will Stewart put the Sharks in front for the first time, Grantham again adding the extras.

The Sharks continued to carve up Canterbury's defensive line in the final seven minutes of the first half. Halfback Blake Wardrobe went in next under the black dot, teeing up a simple conversion for Grantham to make it three from three.

Cronulla's right edge was humming and, off the back of a kick, Paea came down with the ball and offloaded to Stewart who snatched his second try. Grantham booted the Sharks to a healthy 24-8 lead heading into the break.

Coming out for the second stanza, Bulldogs interchange player Zane Groves powered over to the left of the posts in the 38th minute. With Conti converting his first of the day there was just a 10-point margin at 24-14.

In the 44th minute, Cronulla hit back thanks to hooker Aaron Keppie. Grantham slotted the goal and the Sharks regained a 16-point lead.

A back-and-forth beginning to the second half resulted in Canterbury nabbing the next try in the 47th minute with forward Oliva Smith smashing through the defence. Conti was able to convert, taking the score to 30-20.

A determined Bulldogs outfit scored another four-pointer in the 52nd minute via Marcellus Lakopo and a conversion to Conti put them only four points behind with 15 minutes remaining. 

A line break gave Canterbury halfback Mitchell Woods a prime scoring opportunity under the posts to level the scores, and with the playmaker able to convert his own try, the Bulldogs had remarkably snatched back the lead with four minutes to go.

Securing the win for the Bulldogs in the final minute, Conti slid over and Woods added the extras in what was a heartbreaking season-ending defeat for the Sharks.

Hot start falls flat for Fiaola Sharks against undefeated Bulldogs

The Sharks went toe-to-toe with the undefeated Bulldogs early in Saturday's Lisa Fiaola Cup qualifying final but couldn't maintain the pace in a 58-10 loss.

The under-17 girls will now take on the Tigers this Saturday for a place in the preliminary final, with the loser to bow out of the competition.

Cronulla came out firing with halfback Julliana Kolio crossing in the first minute to set the tone. Five-eighth Tahli Weigand converted for a swift 6-0 lead.

It wasn't long before Canterbury hit back as playmaker Emacyn-Eden Ieremia slid over the line in the fifth minute. Ieremia converted her own try to level the scores.

Bulldogs front-rower Taylah Salapo then barged through Cronulla's defence to put Canterbury in front for the first time after eight minutes. With Ieremia adding the two points, the Bulldogs led 12-6. 

This didn't rattle Cronulla, though, as winger Sienna Best crossed in the corner after 14 minutes. Weigand was unable to convert, the score remaining 12-10. 

The Bulldogs promptly responded in the 18th minute, capitalising on fatiguing defence as winger Shakira Lui touched down to snatch a four-point lead. 

A quick tap from five-eighth Evelyn Roberts caught Cronulla's defence off guard and she raced through to grab Canterbury's fourth try of the day after 24 minutes. With Iremia adding the extras, the Bulldogs led the Sharks 22-10.

Slick attack and concrete defence allowed Canterbury to continue piling on the points and it was fullback Shanthie Lui who marched down the field and under the black dot to drive home their advantage at the end of the half. Iremia again kicked the goal to send Canterbury into the sheds up 28-10.

The one-way traffic kept flowing shortly after the break when Bulldogs centre Asha Taumoepeau-Williams went over and Iremia helped herself to another conversion.

Proving to be unstoppable, the Bulldogs bulldozed over for another try with Iremia getting her second in the 37th minute for a hefty 28-point lead.

Taumoepeau-Williams snatched a double in the 46th minute to extinguish any faint hopes of a famous Sharks comeback. Iremia converted to push the score to 44-10.

A merciless Canterbury side kept their foot to the floor with centre Jayda Peo crossing in the 49th minute, quickly followed by a try to hooker Tanya Kavapalu.

Lui capped the performance with her second try three minutes from full-time. Iremia's solid day off the boot concluded with a seventh goal.

The Sharks will again play at Leichhardt Oval this Saturday, with kick-off against the Tigers at 9.45am. The winner will advance to a prelim against the Central Coast Roosters.

All photos by Adam Wrightson, Cronulla Junior Rugby League