RLO Newsletter 20/6: Actually close games

Plus try scoring droughts and attempted Schoolboy Cup updates

The Rugby League Observer is back after a short hiatus and with that, there are a lot of things to dig into, so let’s get into it.

Colts – Round 9
In a bizarre turn of events, the Hastings Deering Colts competition actually had tight contests this past weekend. Round 9 saw three (3!) teams win by a single point.

Wynnum Manly got the weekend started by breaking the hearts of the Clydesdales in Toowoomba. Despite leading 28–12 at halftime and Wynnum Manly getting a player (Sefa Roache-Faimalo) sent off for dissent in the 63rd minute, it just wasn’t happening for the Clydesdales. Seagulls’ halfback Jordan Davies slotted a field goal in the 79th minute to win it for his side.

The second one-pointer came later that afternoon when Mackay came within a whisker of ending a four-game losing streak. Earlier in the game, Tweed halfback Elliott Speed pulled off a 200 IQ move kicking a field goal when up four just before the break. It proved to be the difference when the Cutters scored in the final minute and needed a sideline conversion to snatch it. Unfortunately for Mackay, their halfback Henri Stocks hooked it and Tweed went home happy. A few hours later, the Cutters’ senior side was beaten by Tweed in the final minutes. Rough day.

Then in the final game of the round, Sunshine Coast handed the Brisbane Tigers their first loss of the year thanks to a Blake Ginman field goal in the 72nd minute. 61 points scored, 11 tries, five lead changes and it came down to a field goal. That’s good under-21s rugby league.

Elsewhere, Townsville, Redcliffe and Central Queensland followed the usual Colts script and ran up big scores on their opponents. The Blackhawks, who have started to find their rhythm, flogged Ipswich 56–6 in a game where they debuted five players. The Dolphins returned to form after their first loss last round with a 42–8 win over Norths and the Capras picked up their first win of 2023 with a comfortable 38–14 win over the Pride. The win moves the Capras off the bottom of the ladder. Unfortunately for Ipswich (who have one win), they sit in last, while the Pride (who have zero wins but have had two byes), sit in 13th.

A quick shoutout to Townsville winger Jesse Yallop, who I mentioned in the newsletter a few weeks ago. The diminutive winger made the step up to the Queensland Cup last weekend, starting on the wing in the Blackhawks’ 34–18 win over Ipswich.

Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 16
The Melbourne Storm are the hottest team in the Jersey Flegg right now. Why? They’re on a six-game winning streak that’s why. Starting back in Round 9, they’ve beaten third-place Cronulla twice, second-place Canterbury, sixth-place South Sydney as well as Parramatta and Newcastle, who they dismantled this past weekend 42–16. More impressively, only one win was in the state of Victoria. Since moving to Jersey Flegg in 2019, they’ve only managed back-to-back wins on three occasions.

Speaking of hot form, Canterbury held Penrith scoreless on Saturday afternoon, running out 26–0 winners. The Bulldogs have used a ridiculous 49 players this season (the most of any team) and yet have the best defensive record in the competition, conceding 14.69 points per game.

Also on Saturday, St George Illawarra ended a two-game losing skid with a 30–20 over Canberra in the ACT and Manly, on the back of a Jamie Humphreys hat trick, defeated Parramatta 38–24. The Raiders are struggling badly in 2023. They remain in last and face the Roosters next weekend. The Sea Eagles are on a three-game winning run under new head coach Leon Latulipe. Parramatta on the other hand, who were 4–2 after six games, have lost five straight. They’ve won just once in their last eight.

The Roosters closed out Round 16 with a 40–16 win over South Sydney in Coogee. The Tricolours were out to put last week’s loss to Penrith behind them and ran seven tries past their arch-rivals. They remain in first place with a two-point buffer between them and the Bulldogs.

Teams of the Week
Flegg: 1 Matthew Hill (MEL), 2 Maanaima Amosa (MEL), 3 Harry Hayes (CBY), 4 Campbell Watchirs (SGI), 5 Jonathan Sua (CBY), 6 Stanley Huen (MEL), 7 Cassius Tia (SYD), 8 Loghan Lewis (CAN), 9 Jamie Humphreys (MAN), 10 Zac Montgomery (CBY), 11 Caleb Navale (MAN), 12 Max McCathie (SYD), 13 Hamish Stewart (SGI).

Colts: 1 Kane Simon (MKY), 2 Cathane Hill (TSV), 3 Caleb Jackson (RED), 4 Carsen Huth (CQL), 5 Elliott Smethills (SCF), 6 Will Cahill (RED), 7 Jordan Davies (WYN), 8 Ilami Buli (CQL), 9 Jai Hansen (TSV), 10 Jeremiah Matautia (TSV), 11 Will Taylor (TWE), 12 Alex Donn (WCL), 13 Blake Ginman (SCF).

Under-19 Origin announced
Last week, the NRL confirmed that men’s and women’s under-19 Origin games will take place this year at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium. Both games will be shown live of Nine, Foxtel and Kayo.

Last year, New South Wales took out both fixtures at Leichhardt Oval, 22–6 in the women’s, and 32–4 in the men’s. I’m writing something at the moment about junior Origin games and how much they matter, so keep an eye out for that one as well.

Schoolboy Cup update
A lot of Queensland action in this week’s Cupdate.

In south-east Queensland’s Allan Langer Trophy, Mabel Park State High School and Marsden SHS remain undefeated. Marsden smashed Caloundra SHS 42–12, with Lui Lee (brother of Brenko) scoring a hat trick. Led by star prop Alexanda Leapai, Mabel Park pulled off maybe their biggest win ever, defeating Palm Beach Currumbin 28–22. The two other sides in the top four both picked up wins, with Ipswich SHS defeating Wavell SHS 34–18 and Keebra Park SHS taking care of Redcliffe SHS 46–6.

Up north in the Aaron Payne Cup, St Augustine’s College Cairns remains undefeated as their fairytale run continues. The newcomers took care of Mackay SHS with ease 32–12. In the other Pool B fixture, Mareeba SHS got their second win, defeating Holy Spirit College Mackay 36–16. In Pool A, the top-of-the-table clash between St Patrick’s College Mackay and Kirwan SHS ended 18–all. It’s the second straight draw for Kirwan, who drew rivals Ignatius Park College 12–all in Round 2. Ignatius Park got their first win of 2023, downing Trinity Bay SHS 24–8.

Finally, Emmaus College Rockhampton remains undefeated in central Queensland’s Dolphins Cup. They scored on the siren to beat Shalom College Bundaberg 20–18. St Brendan’s College Yeppoon remain in the hunt for first after a big 38–4 win over Rockhampton Grammar School.

All three Queensland competitions will head into a month-long break now.

Down in the Southern Conference’s Peter Mulholland Cup, it’s kind of a mess. According to the draw, there were several Round 2 games scheduled for June 7th that were never played, with some instead played on June 14th. This meant the Round 3 games that were on the schedule for that day were not played. Meanwhile, the Victorian teams have already played all their pool games. I understand it’s school footy and things get changed around due to field availability, etc. but it would be nice to have some updates on the draw and whatnot. Or maybe the draw was wrong all along, who knows?

In the Northern Pool, All Saint’s College Maitland got one up over local rivals Hunter Sports High 38–12, while new boys Central Coast Sports College remain unbeaten after an 18–6 win over Farrer MAHS.

Hill Sports High went to the top of the Seeded Pool with a 16–12 victory over Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown and St Gregory’s College Campbelltown thrashed Holy Cross Ryde 50–10 in Central Pool 1. There was one Round 3 game also played, with Patrician Brothers' Fairfield taking care of Illawarra Sports High 58–10 in Central Pool 2.

I’d also like to provide some updates on the NSW Schoolgirls Cup competition but there’s even less information available on that.

Try Droughts
Over in the NRL this past weekend, in what was possibly the greatest moment of Andrew Voss’ life, Alex Twal scored his first try in his 116th first-grade game.

Scoring tries is good but sometimes it can be quite hard. Twal found it hard but he’s also playing the NRL, the world’s best and toughest rugby competition. Let’s take a look at some unlucky guys who just couldn’t cross the stripe in much more free-flowing competitions.

Jersey Flegg
Since the competition returned in 2018, Cronulla’s Rhys Dakin holds the crown for most games played without a try. A prop, like most on these lists, he went 33 games scoreless over two seasons. I am happy to report that Rhys, in his first season of NSW Cup with Newtown, has scored a try this season.

Close behind we have Luke Bain, David Hollis and Penisimani Teaupa, who all went 30 games without a meat pie. Bain, who now plays for the Brisbane Tigers, is still scoreless in NSW and Queensland Cup since graduating from under-21s, as is Hollis, who is currently with Newcastle.

Colts
Ty-James Marshall played 32 games for a very bad Ipswich side between 2018 and 2020 and failed to score a try. To make matters worse, he was predominately a halfback. Marshall is currently plying his trade for the North Ipswich Tigers and I can confirm that he has scored numerous tries.

His Jets teammate from the time, Sinbad Fruean, is close behind with 27 games scoreless. Redcliffe’s Douglas Malaki went 25 games without a try during his Colts career. Behind him is Tyson Phineasa, who played all over the Northern Pride’s forward pack between 2019 and 2021, at 22 games. Funnily enough, during a Colts bye round in 2021, Phineasa went back to the Cairns A-Grade competition and scored five tries for the Kangaroos.

Toyota / Holden Cup
Players stuck around much longer in the former national under-20s competition. They also played 24 regular season games, so there are some pretty big numbers on this list.

Topping it is former Broncos’ prop, Stephen Coombe. The Rockhampton junior played three full seasons of NYC, 66 games, and didn’t grab a try. Coombe moved on to the Queensland Cup, spending time with Wynnum Manly and Norths, where he did score a try.

Coming in second is Elia Faatui, a Manly junior who won an NYC premiership with the club in 2017. He first played in the competition as a 17-year-old in 2014 and then preceded to go 52 games without a four-pointer. 12 games behind him is another Manly prop in Evan Lee, who went two seasons try-less in 2013 and 2014. His streak ended and Faatui’s began.

Rounding out the top five are Joseph Ratuvakacereivalu and George Lolo, who played 32 and 31 games respectively. Ratuvakacereivalu would score tries while representing Fiji and playing for Wests in the NSW Cup. Lolo wasn’t quite as lucky as his twin brother Wesley, who scored 16 tries in the two seasons they spent with the Dragons.

For the record, Twal scored three tries in his 47-game under-20s career. Once in 2015 and twice in 13 games in 2016.

Da Silva Debut
Last Saturday saw probably the most surprising debut of the season with 18-year-old hooker Tallyn Da Silva coming off the bench in the Wests Tigers’ loss to Melbourne.

Da Silva, an East Campbelltown junior, started with the Wests Magpies Harold Matthews Cup team in 2020. Just last year, he started at dummy half in their Grand Final win over Cronulla. He moved up to the SG Ball Cup in February, scoring nine tries in nine games, before moving to Jersey Flegg, where he crossed twice in two games.

Two appearances off the bench in NSW Cup followed and that was enough for Tim Sheens to hand him his debut in Round 16. He came off the bench and looked unfazed by the step up, playing 33 minutes and making 20 tackles for just one miss. Harold Matthews to NRL in 14 months, not bad.

England Academy squad named
Following Game II of the Academy Origin series, which ended in a 32–all draw, head coach Paul Anderson has named his squad for England Academy’s game with France under-19 next month.

The 21-man squad features two players with Super League experience – Warringtons’s Lucas Green (five games) and Leeds’ Jack Sinfield (six games). Sinfield is the son of England and Rhinos’ great Kevin.

Joe Bajer (Warrington Wolves), Ryan Brown (Wigan Warriors), Jack Charles (Hull FC), Leon Cowen (St Helens), Owen Dagnall (St Helens), Jack Farrimond (Wigan Warriors), Louix Gorman (Hull KR), Lucas Green (Warrington Wolves), Taylor Kerr (Wigan Warriors), Thomas McKinney (Warrington Wolves), Thomas Ratchford (Wigan Warriors), Harry Robertson (St Helens), Dayon Sambou (St Helens), Jack Sinfield (Leeds Rhinos), Harvey Smith (Wakefield Trinity), Jack Smith (Leeds Rhinos), Noah Stephens (St Helens), Neil Tchamambe (Leeds Rhinos), Nolan Tupaea (Warrington Wolves), Jon Vaughan (St Helens), Cobie Wainhouse (Hull FC)

Standby players: Riley Lumb (Leeds Rhinos), Kian McDermott (Wigan Warriors), Lukas Mason (Wigan Warriors), Ciaran Nolan (St Helens), Joe Phillips (Leeds Rhinos), George Whitby (St Helens), Ethan Wood (Wakefield Trinity), Cai Taylor Wray (Warrington Wolves) 

The French squad will be picked following two trials later this month and will be coached by former French international Remi Casty. The two sides will meet on Saturday, July 8 in Saint-Gaudens.

The third and final Academy Origin game will be played at St Helens’ Wicked Stadium on Friday, August 18. Lancashire leads the series 1–0.

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Around the grounds

For more information on all games head to 18thman.com.

Jersey Flegg Cup (Round 16)
Melbourne 42 (M Hill 2, S Huen 2, M Jennings, P Manu, C Te Rangi tries; K Russell-Smith 7 goals) def. Newcastle 16 (J Linnane, L Pietzner, L Sutton tries; Liam Sutton 2 goals) at Cessnock Sportsground. Referee: E Klein. Halftime: MEL 30–16. Tackles: B Greacen 33 (NEW), J Weir 22 (MEL). Run metres: B Greacen 120 (NEW), M Amosa 195 (MEL).

St George Illawarra 30 (S Tamale 2, N Quinn, C Roberts, B Rumble, C Watchirs tries; N Quinn 3 goals) def. Canberra 20 (P Jenkins, J Lavender, S Leuluai, J Roddy tries; P Jenkins, K Skipps goals) at Raiders Belconnen. Halftime: SGI 20–10. Tackles: J Roddy 29 (CAN), H Stewart 25 (SGI). Run metres: L Lewis 171 (CAN), C Watchirs 134 (SGI).

Manly 38 (J Humphreys 3, V Kuli, C Navale, D O’Donnell, C Thompson tries; J Humphreys 5 goals) def. Parramatta 24 (M Komolafe 2, R Penisini 2, N Lenaz tries; J Lynn 2 goals) at New Era Stadium. Referee: J Green. Halftime: MAN 16–14. Tackles: N Lenaz 33 (PAR), C Navale 32 (MAN). Run metres: M Komolafe 166 (PAR), V Kuli 130 (MAN).

Canterbury 26 (J Su’a 2, D Gabrael, S Moala, L Vito tries J Su’a 3 goals) def. Penrith 0 at Belmore Sports Ground. Referee: A Sirianni. Halftime: CBY 14–0. Tackles: Z Montgomery 27 (CBY), B Phillips 35 (PEN). Run metres: H Hayes 180 (CBY), T Sielaff-Burns 187 (PEN).

Sydney 40 (T Henare-Schuster 2, M McCathie 2, T Mauala, C Ross, P Steinwede tries; C Tia 6 goals) def. South Sydney 16 (A Donnell, E Ferguson, J Rahme tries; E Ferguson 2 goals) at Coogee Oval. Referee: B Williams. Halftime: SYD 18–10. Tackles: J Rahme 23 (SOU), M McCathie 33 (SYD). Run metres: J Rahme 121 (SOU), M McCathie 179 (SYD).

Ladder: 1 Sydney (26 pts), 2 Canterbury (24), 3 Cronulla (24), 4 Penrith (23), 5 Melbourne (22), 6 South Sydney (19), 7 Newcastle (16), 8 St George Illawarra (16), 9 Parramatta (14), 10 Wests Tigers (14), 11 Manly (14), 12 Canberra (12).

Hastings Deering Colts (Round 9)
Wynnum Manly 35 (N Tangimataiti 2, B Anders, J Davies, C Hewett, C Kwock-Sun Barker tries; J Davies 5 goals, field goal) def. Western Clydesdales 34 (O Bichel, K Buhse, H Finau, T Hatch, F Kaiser Capewell, B Leigh tries; K Duggan 5 goals) at Clive Berghofer Stadium. Referee: D Lawrence. Halftime: WCL 28–12. Tackles: B Patti 39 (WCL), C Hewett 30 (WYN). Run metres: A Donn 187 (WCL), E Mikaio 153 (WYN).

Townsville 56 (J Hansen 2, C Hill 2, R Wavik 2, S Bourke, L Lerch, J Matautia, T Tikonilia tries; R Wavik 5, D Dowson 3 goals) def. Ipswich 6 (R Balint try; R Balint goal) at Jack Manski Oval. Referee: C Wilson. Halftime: TSV 28–6. Tackles: J Hansen 27 (TSV), B Charles 32 (IPS). Run metres: C Hill 235 (TSV), F Groth 222 (IPS).

Redcliffe 42 (W Cahill 2, S Hoad 2, B Dawes, T Otukolo, W Starling tries; S Hoad 7 goals) def. Norths 8 (A Gill, B Norris tries) at Kayo Stadium. Referee: A Rossiter. Halftime: RED 18–8. Tackles: B Major 30 (RED), K O’Brien 40 (NOR). Run metres: C Jackson 173 (RED), H Walters 150 (NOR).

Tweed 21 (C Cambey, L Radzievic, E Speed, W Taylor tries; L Radzievic 2 goals; E Speed field goal) def. Mackay 20 (B Dunbar, M Novosel, T Salleh-Meadows, H Stocks tries; H Stocks 2 goals) at BB Print Stadium. Referee: T Wilkie. Halftime: TWE 15–10. Tackles: B Coombes 31 (MKY), W Taylor 27 (TWE). Run metres: K Simon 263 (MKY), J Russell 167 (TWE).

CQ Capras 38 (C Huth 2, J Wini 2, M Mitchell, L Nebauer, M Tanner tries; M Tanner 4, J Barham goals) def. Northern Pride 14 (M Douthat, C Roberts, K Rosas tries; D Ahwang goal) at Barlow Park. Referee: G Millar. Halftime: CQL 10–4. Tackles: H Davies 24 (NPR), L Dale-Doyle 24 (CQL). Run metres: H Davies 126 (NPR), I Buli 218 (CQL).

Sunshine Coast 31 (E Smethills 2, M Hawkins, J Meikle, M Peut tries; P McGinn 3 goals; B Ginman field goal) def. Brisbane Tigers 30 (B Ashton, B Black, J House, L West, T Woodman-Tuhoro tries; B Black 5 goals) at Totally Workwear Stadium. Referee: M Gannon. Halftime: BRI 18–14. Tackles: B Seu-Easthope 33 (BRI), B Ginman 30 (SCF). Run metres: L West 173 (BRI), M Peut 165 (SCF).

Ladder: 1 Redcliffe (16 pts), 2 Tweed (16), 3 Brisbane Tigers (16), 4 Townsville (14), 5 Wynnum Manly (14), 6 Burleigh (14), 7 Sunshine Coast (12), 8 Western Clydesdales (8), 9 Souths Logan (8), 10 Mackay (8), 11 Norths (7), 12 CQ Capras (5), 13 Northern Pride (4), 14 Ipswich (4).

NRL Schoolboy Cup
Allan Langer Trophy (Round 3)
Marsden SHS 42 def. Caloundra SHS 12 at Tinonee Oval.
Mabel Park SHS 28 def. Palm Beach Currumbin SHS 22 at Totally Workwear Stadium.
Ipswich SHS 34 def. Wavell SHS 18 at Wavell State High School.
Keebra Park SHS 46 def. Redcliffe SHS 6 at Owen Park.

Ladder: 1 Mabel Park SHS (6 pts), 2 Marsden SHS (5), 3 Keebra Park SHS (4), 4 Ipswich SHS (4), 5 Palm Beach Currumbin SHS (3), 6 Wavell SHS (2), 7 Redcliffe SHS (0), 8 Caloundra SHS (0).

Aaron Payne Cup (Round 3)
St Patrick’s Mackay 18 drew Kirwan 18 at Leprechaun Park.
St Augustine’s Cairns 32 def. Mackay SHS at Brothers Townsville.
Ignatius Park College 24 def. Trinity Bay SHS at Ignatius Park College.
Mareeba SHS 36 def. Holy Spirit Mackay 16 at Brothers Townsville.

Ladder: Pool A: 1 St Patrick’s Mackay (5 pts), 2 Kirwan SHS (4), 3 Ignatius Park (3), 4 Trinity Bay SHS (0). Pool B: 1 St Augustine’s Cairns (6), 2 Mareeba SHS (4), 3 Mackay SHS (2), 4 Holy Spirit College Mackay (0).

Dolphins Cup (Round 3)
Emmaus College 20 def. Shalom College 18 at Shalom Catholic College.
St Brendan’s Yeppoon 38 def. Rockhampton Grammar 4 at Rockhampton Grammar School.

Ladder: 1 Emmaus College (6 pts), 2 St Brendan’s Yeppoon (4), 3 The Cathedral College (4), 4 Shalom College (2), 5 Rockhampton Grammar (2).

Peter Mulholland Cup (Rounds 2/3)
All Saint’s Maitland 38 def. Hunter Sports 12 at Maitland Sportsground.
Hills Sports 16 def. Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown 12 at Ringrose Park.
St Gregory’s Campbelltown 50 def. Holy Cross Ryde 10 at Holy Cross College.
Central Coast Sports 18 def. Farrer MAHS 6 at Farrer Memorial Agricultural High.
Patrician Brothers’ Fairfield 58 def. Illawarra Sports 10 at Sid Parrish Park.