It will be a wet round for the Parramatta Eels in the Junior Representatives as they play a home quadruple header at Eric Tweedale Stadium. The rain looks set in and it will almost certainly be a heavy track as the Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale squads look to ward off the Illawarra Steelers and punch a ticket into the finals.
Coverage starts at 10:30AM with the Lisa Fiaola kicking off and the Tarsha Gale will follow at 12:30PM. Be sure to stick around for the Harold Matthews and SG Ball who will be covered in a separate live blog here!
Lisa Fiaola Cup Team List
| 1 | Irae Savea |
| 2 | Deja Vaivela |
| 3 | Georgia Wansey |
| 4 | Cody Tuimaseve |
| 5 | Freedom Crichton Ropati |
| 6 | Sharon Latapu |
| 7 | Temieke Withers |
| 8 | Mere Sivo |
| 9 | Bailey Ma-Chong |
| 10 | Isabella Bell |
| 11 | Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard |
| 12 | Mitszy Cairns |
| 13 | Alissia Misa |
| 15 | Anika Penitani |
| 16 | Olivia Saba |
| 17 | Evelyn Kuwendu |
| 18 | Kaveinga O’Callaghan-Ahio |
| 23 | Hine Rikiti |
| 14 | Hayloh Talagi |
Match Updates
First Half
Parramatta kicking off in the first half amidst the dismal conditions.
Bailey Ma-Chong gets us underway as the Steelers produce a bullocking opening charge. Illawarra work their way into Parra’s half and jab the ball into the corner neatly to find touch and make the Eels work their way out off their 10m line.
Unfortunately the Eels fail to complete their first set of the game as the ball is juggled into a defender by Isabella Bell. Completions will be key in this contest and Parramatta start behind the 8-ball here.
The Steelers very nearly give it back on the first play of the next set but do well to hold onto a tough pass only to lose it in the ruck two tackles later. Conditions are clearly having an impact early on.
Tuimaseve and Sivo rip in now before Latapu has a poke around the ruck. The ball finds a frontrower late in the tackle count in Bell and she ends up producing a reasonable grubber kick – although the Illawarra fullback Churchill does a nice job claiming the rolling ball in the wet conditions.
A good defensive set now from Parra as they edge ahead in the territorial battle. Savea provides a solid kick return and it followed up by Freedom Crichton Ropati. Morgan-Pritchard has a strong charge in their wake before the ball is lost in contact by Sivo. Good intent from the Eels that set but they just couldn’t get to the end of it.
Good response from Sivo in the defensive reply. Got right in under the ribs for a big shot. The Steelers do manage to complete the set though and find touch ~33m off Parramatta’s goal line.
A chance for Illawarra now. Morgan-Pritchard has the ball jolted free of her grasp just shy of halfway and the Steelers get a scrum feed. Nice defence from Freedom from the set piece! Illawarra play left and look to generate an overlap but she is all over it like a blanket and it is followed up by an error in the ruck!
Now a penalty for Parramatta for ruck interference. And a second follows. Huge shot here for the home team if they can hold onto the ball.
Isabella Bell trucks the ball up close to the goal like before Withers explores the left edge with Cairns in tow. Good defence holds them out though. Second phase ball takes play back to the right as Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard steams into the line and offloads to her fullback Savea. Irae darts back to the posts and has one last defender to beat as she tries to dive over but the Steeler punches the ball out with a great tackle on the goal line.
Staunch defence keeps the Steelers pinned deep in their half and allows Savea to tee off on a kick return. The Eels just look to punch it through the ruck this set before Withers rolls it along the carpet on the last. It takes a deflection off a defender – play at is the call – as Savea quickly dives on the loose ball. Alas, a forward pass call midway through the next set prevents Parramatta from converting on the red-zone opportunity.
The Eels lose the ball on halfway for the second time in the first half but are pretty unlucky not to get it back from the Steelers scrum from what looked to be a knock-on. Referee rules play on and Parramatta – to their credit – aim up in defence and force an error when the Steelers try to brute force a right edge short side play.
Wansey has a nice run from Parra’s loosehead win. Bell goes next with Sivo next. Right to Latapu who turns Tuimaseve back inside before going right again herself next tackle. Last now as Ma-Chong looks to snipe a try from 8m out. She almost opens up a seam and for a moment I thought she was going to link up back inside to Latapu but she can’t get a good angle on the pass and dies with the ball.
A brilliant return from Savea now! Parra’s defence are positioning her to really attack these returns and she delivers a 40m effort now. Bell has a good charge towards the posts before Sivo nearly goes over in her wake. Right on the last as Latapu grubbers for herself. She reclaims the ball short of the line but the Illawarra defence is dare I say it steely as they converge on her and wrap her up short of the line.
A suffocating set of defence now. Parramatta have put the clamps on and the Steelers barely get past 20m late in the set before a cracking tackle knocks the ball out. Can the Eels finally convert territory into points?
Cairns flies into the line for a wonderful tone-setting run early in the set and it is her running-mate in Morgan-Pritchard that profits next play! On the back of Mitzsy’s fiery carry the Eels shift right as Latapu finds Kaizen running an overs line. It streams beautifully between two defenders and the big backrowers has the legs to win the race to the line! Finally the Eels crack the visitors.
Try scored by Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard. Conversion successful by Bailey Ma-Chong.
Eels lead 6-0
24min gone
Isabella Bell leads us off from the kickoff. Olivia Saba is on now with fresh legs and trucks it up. An early kick from Ma-Chong is struck well and pins Illawarra inside their 10m mark. Very good set after points – doubly so given the weather.
Jayda Lalic gets the Steelers out of trouble with a very good run but Savea still threatens with her kick return next play. Deja Vaivela shakes off a defender with a good run and is followed up by Crichton-Ropati before Latapu completes the set with a kick down the narrow right side. Churchill does well to defuse the probing kick and pinches some useful metres for the Steelers in return.
It leads to the best field position for the Steelers in a long time but their attacking kick is easily claimed by Parramatta before time is blown off for a downed Steeler – it looks like Lalic from my angle. Hopefully she is ok. She is eventually assisted off the field – again we hope it isn’t a serious injury of any kind.
I must have missed a lost ball call against the Eels because play resumes with a scrum for Illawarra? My apologies.
The Steelers get to work down their right edge before switching to the left with a probing run from Ella Churchill. The Eels barely bring her down and the Steelers double down that side with a grubber kick that is weighted dangerously. Savea continues her polished work at the back though with a retrieval job that sees her dive back into the field of play. The siren calls out shortly after and we head into the sheds at half time with the Eels leading by 6-points.
Half Time
Parramatta Eels 6 lead the Ilawarra Steelers 0
Second Half
The Steelers will kickoff in the second half.
Crichton-Ropati brings in a midrange kickof and gets to work. Morgan-Pritchard rumbles into Illawarra’s half before Saba and Savea attack the ruck. Latapu bombs the right edge and draws an error from the Steelers as they miscalculate how close the ball is to the sideline and are carried into touch by the slippery track.
However, Parramatta can’t convert the early opportunity as they produce an error of their own shifting the ball to their right edge.
A swing in the game perhaps? Savea has been brilliant throughout the first 30min of this contest with her kick returns but now gets it fractionally wrong and loses the ball. It positions the Steelers for an attacking set and they unleash from the scrum with a rapid shift right that releases their winger Tukere. Fantastic cover defence saves the day though and Illawarra struggle to make an impression as they look to realign the ball to the left before dropping it cold.
The Eels will want a punchy reply here and get it with a string of good runs culminating in Mitzsy Cairns earning a penalty for a hand in the ruck. Alissia Misa and Penitani work around the ruck early next set as the Eels play right to Cairns next. Right again to Latapu now as she angles to the outside and drills a grubber kick back to the posts – striking the right upright. The Eels pour through in chase and force a line drop-out.
Olivia Saba gets the call from the restart with Cairns up next. It unravels from there though. The Eels line up to the left – clearly a big sweeping movement coming – but the pass from Penitani to the link player gets lost and the Steelers dive on the loose ball.
Parramatta navigate the following defensive set and reply by getting to their kick as Latapu sends a bomb up to the right once again. The kick chase is aggressive – too aggressive arguably – as they are pulled up for a high tackle. Nothing malicious there but a fair call. Illawarra don’t get far though – an error in the ruck puts Parramatta in possession 10m inside Illawarra’s half.
Play focuses on the left early in the set for the Eels as they slowly build back to the right. The set sort of fizzles out to nowhere though with the Steelers holding on in defence and Latapu’s kick on the last ending up too shallow to challenge the defensive line with any serious intent.
Illawarra keep opening the door though with another error coming out of their half. Parramatta need to convert at some point here. A one score lead with their territorial advantage makes this contest far too close.
Morgan-Pritchard has a bustling run down the right before the Eels play left to her opposite in Mitzsy Cairns. Withers rolls in a perfect grubber kick on the last and the kick chase earns a drop-out.
The right is focus early now here but the Eels go without the ball on tackle three as the errors stack to pile up from both teams in the second half.
Error continues to be met with error as both teams struggle with the conditions. It looks like Crichton-Ropati is dinged up from a big run she had earlier. Time is blown off as a result. She took some heavy contact going to the ground as the Illawarra fullback Churchill came across in cover. There is a roar from the crowd as she makes a recovery in a big boost for the team. Thank goodness.
A surging run from Kuwendu now as the Eels rumble downfield. A quality clearing kick is backed up by an energetic chase from the right edge as Illawarra are trapped near their goal line.
The effort has the Eels ahead in the arm wrestle once more and allows Savea to tack on more kick return metres at the end of the set. Cody Tuimaseve provides impetus out of nowhere with a dynamic run out of dummy half. She is collared by the cover defence short of the line but the Eels are firmly on the attack now. Sivo goes close next play with a brash charge but is held out and on the last the Eels run the ball as Withers plays to the line and slips a late pass to Georgia Wanset who is able to dive over through contact and score a crucial try. Ma-Chong drills the extras from outwide in a huge conversion attempt!
Try scored by Georgia Wansey. Conversion successful by Bailey Ma-Chong.
Eels lead 12-0
52min gone
A thunderous charge from Sivo! She skittles defenders in her wake and gives her dummy-half a chance to attack from the play-the-ball as Bailey picks out offside defenders and earns the penalty. Time is off for an injured Steeler as the Eels will look to find touch.
Parra will work from right-to-left here as Morgan-Pritchard and Bell get the runs. Latapu switches play back to the right to give Kaizen another run and a lazy high shot leads to a penalty as the Eels elect to wind the clock and take a shot at goal. A clean strike here gives the home team a 3-score lead with the clock ticking under 5min.
Penalty goal attempt successful by Bailey Ma-Chong.
Eels lead 14-0
55min gone
Sivo and Latapu taking the opening runs now from the kickoff. Morgan-Pritchard does very well to hold onto a tough pass and still make metres. Ma-Chong scoots out of dummy half and threatens the Steelers but loses the ball trying to pierce the defensive line. Illawarra go on to pick up a penalty and opt for the tap restart 12m shy of halfway.
Chalk up another error as the visitors drop the ball cold coming into Parra’s half. Sivo and Ma-Chong create strong penetration through the ruck and it opens a channel for Latapu to scheme her way in behind retreating defenders and slice through to score a nice little individual try.
Try scored by Sharon Latapu. Conversion successful by Bailey Ma-Chong.
Eels lead 20-0
59min gone
Just seconds left in the contest now as Illawarra get a final kickoff away. The Eels lose it backwards and a Steeler chaser toes it ahead only for Parramatta to scoop it up and bring an end to the game.
Full Time
Parramatta Eels 20 defeat the Illawarra Steelers 0
Tarsha Gale Team List
| 1 | Dallis Graham-Withell |
| 2 | Sualo Lafoga |
| 3 | Jessamine Aloalii |
| 4 | Khyliah Gray |
| 5 | Avena Racoma Ngata |
| 6 | Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai |
| 7 | Aaliyah Soufan |
| 8 | Taylah Falaniko |
| 9 | Ava Jones |
| 10 | Tess McWilliams |
| 11 | Fontayne Tufuga |
| 12 | Matoisha Kalepo |
| 13 | Ryvrr-Lee Alo |
| 14 | Rory Muller |
| 15 | Leyla Oueik |
| 16 | Armarni-Lea Auvae |
| 17 | Alana O’Loughlin |
| 23 | Christine Tongia |
Match Updates
First Half
Parramatta to kickoff.
A very good opening set from the Steelers as they punch the ball into Parramatta’s half but the home team don’t falter and force Illawarra into a kick. Graham-Withell tidies up the ball at the back and the Eels roll up their sleeves with a no-nonsense set that is completed with a clearing kick that finds touch down the right sideline. A good composed reply.
#12, Rhian Yeo, for the Steelers makes a half break attacking Parramatta’s right edge and earns a penalty when she is held down. Tess McWilliams delivers a good shot early in the next set but the Steelers will get multiple looks at Parra’s goal line here. They focus on their right and are rebuffed and eventually kick back to the right but Avena Racoma Ngata calmly defuses the bomb and fights to stay in the field of play.
The Eels cough the ball up coming out of their own quarter – huge chance for Illawarra here. Again their staunch goal line defence holds on though. A couple of important tackles were made on the opposition halves there.
Parramatta aren’t afraid to look for the offload here and while the ball from Tayla Falaniko to Fontayne Tufuga was a good one – Tufuga wasn’t ready for the cover defender coming behind her and they knock the ball free of her grasp.
Again though, the Eels hold on but they will need to get to their kick. They do just that thankfully as Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai deftly stabs it into the right corner and puts Parramatta right back into an even arm wrestle.
Stellar defence from Kalepo and Soufan now. A driving-combination tackle. Illawarra rally with a dangerous run out of dummy half two plays later but the Eels hold on and come away with the ball. A good set follows as the Eels unleash a midfield bomb that Illawarra spill backwards before cleaning up.
WOOSHKA! Falaniko unloads now with a booming shot! Both teams are really ripping in early on in this contest. Just as the Eels look to be set for a big set following a nice return from Sualo Lafoga – the big winger has the ball pop out of her grasp. Tried fighting to her feet too hard there it looks like.
The goal line defence stands up once more and a knock-on in the contest for a kick by the Steelers puts the Eels back in possession.
Oooh, a slice of luck for the Eels there. A bustling carry from Ryvvr-Lee Alo nearly comes undone when she pushes an offload. Thankfully, it catches the hands of a defender and is ruled to be knocked on. Nice break there for Parramatta.
Right from the scrum win for the Eels as Fontayne Tufuga tears in. It sets the tone for her backrow compatriot in Alo to plow into the defensive line with vigour. Ryvvr-Lee improves from her last offloading attempt as she slips a gorgeous ball to Tess McWilliams and the middle forwards combine for opening points!
Try scored by Tess McWilliams. Conversion successful by Dallis Graham-Withell.
Eels lead 6-0
16min gone
The soggy footing claims a victim as the Eels can’t get to the kickoff on the full and the ball bounces into touch for an Illawarra scrum. Tough luck there. The Steelers attack down their right edge with hands to the winger but the Eels slide nicely and reply with numbers. So to the left for the visitors where again Parramatta are set in the defensive formation and have little issues. That brings up the last as the Steelers go along the carpet. It is a tricky kick and finds a gap between defenders allowing Illawarra’s right winger to get their first but she knocks on trying to plant the ball! Phew.
Illawarra inch their way ahead in the contest for field position and find themselves with a full set inside the attacking half when Soufan is forced to clear the ball deep inside her own half. Again though, they look bereft of dynamic attacking threats in the mid-tackle count and plum for a bomb to their left ledge on the last only to lose it forwards in the contest.
The virtue of the kick chase! It was tough sledding for the Eels in their reply set but a spirited chase from Racoma Ngata turns a normal clearing kick from Gunn-Tauai into an error from the visitors! The opposite of the coach killer there.
Khyliah Gray starts the next set fighting through contact down the left as the Eels then pivot to the right. A flurry of second phase ball takes play back to the left and nearly sees Aloalii and Kalepo both go close to crossing. From there it looks like the Eels are in after a svelte cutout pass down the left short side from Soufan to Lafoga but the touchy doesn’t like the trajectory of the ball and pulls it up. Dang.
Parra get a second shot though as the Steelers turn it over quickly. Alana O’Loughlin is on now and centres the ball to the posts with some good leg speed. She fights for a good play-the-ball and the Eels pounce from there with Armani-Lea Auvae storming onto the ball and driving through defenders – almost pick and drive union style – to dive over and score. It is nice work between middle forwards again for points here. Graham-Withell miscues the conversion attempt and sprays it to right in a rough miss.
Try scored by Armani-Lea Auvae. Conversion unsuccessful by Dallis Graham-Withell.
Eels lead 10-0
28min gone
Good catch and run from Fontayne from the restart of play. The Eels are playing adventurous footy through the middle here with half time closing in. Ava Jones I think it is spearheading some ball-playing at the line. Soufan digs deep into the Illawarra defensive line in a testing sortie but loses the ball going to the ground. The siren rings out shortly thereafter though as the two teams head back into the sheds.
Half Time
Parramatta Eels 10 lead the Illawarra Steelers 0
Second Half
Sloppy start from the Eels as they hand the ball to the Steelers from the kickoff. It quickly proves costly as well as despite good defence through the meat of the set – the Steelers finally have success kicking to their left edge. Their centre Billie Va’a slips to the inside line for the ball and is able to win the contest against Gray to claim first points for Illawarra.
Try scored by Billie Va’a. Conversion successful by Trinity Tauaneai.
Steelers trail 6-10
33min gone
At least both teams are struggling with the restarts here. Illawarra make a meal of their kickoff reception to put the Eels on the attack. O’Loughlin has another quality charge to the posts before Soufan is caught in two minds and takes a tackle. Ryvvr-Lee Alo has a powerful charge that almost sees her score before a tipped pass resets the tackle count. Now O’Loughlin is over the line and held up after another energetic carry. Just as the Eels set up shop for the shift left the ball gets caught in Ava Jones’ hands and the dummy half drops it.
Bit of a tough call there as the Eels are penalised for a shot off the ball. It was the dummy half drawing and passing out of the ruck and I don’t think the tackle was particularly late. The Steelers did a good job remonstrating though and earned the call from there.
That kick to Illawarra’s left edge is swiftly becoming a problem as they go in again on the back of it. Parramatta time their challenge all wrong and the ball ends up bouncing and it bounces perfectly for the Steelers as they go over in the corner. How quickly this game has pivoted on the back of those kicks.
Try scored by Kiara Kostovski. Conversion unsuccessful by Trinity Tauaneai.
Steelers lock the scores up at 10-all
38min gone
Another kickoff and you know what it means – another error. Parramatta ball here and they have to make it count. McWilliams does extremely well to save an errant pass and keep the Eels on the attack. O’Loughlin and Alo attack the posts but Parra come unstuck venturing to the left as their attacking rhythm falls heavily out of tempo.
General play ends up entrenched inside Illawarra’s half but both teams continue to make mistakes so there is no change to the scoreboard. Frustrating stuff here but I am cognizant of the impact of the wet conditions – it just leaves little of substance to report to readers right now with the game in a perpetually stalled state.
The Eels need a lightning rod moment and it is the class of Graham-Withell that might be it as the fullback glides out of dummy-half and turns in a huge gain near 50m downfield. It is all set-up for Parra to strike back here but as they spin right to Aloalii on the penultimate tackle of the set the ball squirrels out of her grasp on the ground. A huge chance goes begging there.
And suddenly it is the Eels on the back foot as they cough up the attacking kick from Ilawarra. Premium attacking chance here for the visitors now as they pack the scrum in front of the posts. Numerous efforts to crack Parra’s left edge and turned way but there are still tackles left up the sleeve as they venture left only to grass the ball. Tense moment there.
That could be all over red rover as the Eels lose ground on the back of defensive penalties conceded and the Steelers rumble over the goal line care of a huge run from their prop Seriah Palepale. With minutes left on the clock the Eels need something special in order to salvage a result today.
Try scored by Seriah Palepale. Conversion successful by Makayla McFayden.
Steelers lead 16-10
57min gone
Illawarra finally get a kick reception right – and it is the most crucial one of the game only to drop the ball cold two plays later. Can the Eels muster up a final challenge here with the shadow of full time encroaching rapidly?
Parra play right with Aloalii before Tufuga has a crack. The Blue & Gold try to create an attacking seam with ball-playing at the line to Alo but the short ball isn’t brought in cleanly and the Steelers get the pill back with only one task – complete their set.
And they get that exact job done to deal a crushing blow to the Eels after the home team held a 10-point lead.
Full Time
Illawarra Steelers 16 defeat the Parramatta Eels 10
