RLO Newsletter 25/4: Colts kick-off, Meninga Cup GF and NSWRL semis
The Hastings Deering Colts got underway this past weekend and 67 tries were scored.
After two months of trials the QRL’s Hastings Deering Colts under-21 competition finally got underway on Saturday with Mackay opening the season at home to the Norths Devils.
The season began in the most Colts way possible with 16 tries being scored and the Cutters running out 50–32 winners, which I settled in to watch at 10 in the morning. Mackay second-rower Hugh Arthur scored a hat-trick in the win, the first of four scored in Round 1.
Over at Kougari Oval, Wynnum Manly beat the Northern Pride 34–10. When the two sides played last season the Pride lost 100-0. Saturday’s action wrapped up at Kayo Stadium where Redcliffe completely decimated the Jets 70–16. The Dolphins, whose side featured nine-game NRL player Taniela Otukolo at hooker, scored 13 tries, which included hat-tricks to five-eighth Corey Thomas and centre Michael Roberts. Roberts, who was making his Colts debut, is the younger brother of James Roberts. I remember watching the 2021 Queensland Schoolboy final where Roberts played five-eighth for Palm Beach Currumbin and was their second-best player after Deine Mariner. They probably would’ve won the National Final if it had been played.1
I watched Sunday’s Townsville-Tweed game where Tweed ran out 34–6 winners. A bad start for Townsville, the 2021 premiers, in what was a very sloppy game. They’ve had a very big roster turnover so it may take them a week or two to sort themselves out. Tweed lined up with a very Colts-experienced side and scored some highlight-reel tries. Jaylan De Groot, who has played three Queensland Cup games this season, dropped back to Colts for this and looked a class above.
Sunday’s other fixtures saw the Sunshine Coast defeat Souths Logan 30–16 and the Brisbane Tigers take care of the Western Clydesdales 44–16. Bud Smith, the son of former Origin and Test rep Jason, made his Colts debut after stepping up from Mal Meninga Cup. The Clydesdales may have lost big but how great was this pass from their second-rower Joshua Quinlan?
Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 8
Just a reminder that Jersey Flegg games aren’t shown anywhere, so all I’ve seen is the highlights.
The Bulldogs opened Round 8 on Friday night with a win over Cronulla at Belmore, ending the Sharks unbeaten run in 2023. Dogs’ centre Danny Gabrael scored three of his side’s seven tries. Three of Canterbury’s tries came from the Sharks not being able to clean up kicks and one came from error a metre out from Cronulla’s line.
On Saturday, the Rabbitohs and Panthers played out a 24-all draw. Souths led by 14 heading into the final 10 minutes but like most Panthers junior sides, they found a way and levelled it very late. Winger Addison Williams could not convert his try from the sideline to steal it. Later in Victoria, the Knights got their second win of the year, 26–18 over Melbourne, in a game where five players were sin-binned. Three from the Storm and two from Newcastle.
Sunday saw the Tigers blitz the Sea Eagles in the second half, scoring 22 points to win it 38–22 after it went into the break 16–all. The Tigers blooded three players from their very strong Magpies SG Ball side (Kit Laulili’i, Jordan Miller and Tallyn Da Silva). All three played in the Magpies Harold Matthews Grand Final win in 2022, while Miller was also selected for the Australian Schoolboys. Speaking of promoting SG Ball players, the Dragons debuted SEVEN in their 42–16 loss to the Roosters.2 The win puts the Roosters back on top of the ladder. Winger Isaac Guba scored twice in the victory taking his tally to 10 from seven games. Tavita Henare-Schuster, a young prospect signed from the Hurricanes rugby union system, made his Flegg debut for the Roosters.
Redcliffe crowned U18 premiers
The Dolphins added some silverware to their great weekend on Sunday when they defeated Townsville 36–18 in the Mal Meninga Cup Grand Final. Anything can happen in junior rugby league but this felt well and truly over at halftime, with Redcliffe up 20–4. Kiwi five-eighth John Fineanganofo, who is built like a prop, was almost unstoppable on his left edge. Hooker Mitchell Rogers, who was named best on ground, controlled the game and front rowers Michael Waqa and Elijah Rasmussen were huge against a strong Blackhawks pack. Townsville’s standouts were halfback Reece Foley and middles Jamal Shibasaki and Kaiden Lahrs.
Redcliffe had not won the competition since 2013 when they beat Gold Coast White 44–16. Current Dragons’ prop Josh Kerr was playing on the wing for Redcliffe and scored twice in that game. For Townsville, it’s their third consecutive Grand Final defeat. The four-time winners last won it in 2016, which was the last of three straight Grand Final wins funnily enough.
NSWRL Junior Rep Grand Finals are set
Newcastle and Parramatta have qualified for next weekend’s under-19 SG Ball Cup Grand Final at Leichhardt. Both got through with unusually low-scoring wins in the semis. The Eels beat Canberra 14–6 and the Knights knocked out last year’s Premiers Penrith, 10–8. I caught the second half of the Knights game and was expecting the typical Panthers game-winner but it never came, with Newcastle fighting hard to hang on. The Knights last won the SG Ball in 2011, while the Eels last was in 2017.
In the under-19 Tarsha Gale Cup, the two best sides all season, the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bulldogs, will play in the decider. They both thrashed their opponents in the semis, the Bulldogs 28–0 over Illawarra and the Roosters 40–4 over Newcastle. Canterbury have never won the competition. The Roosters are looking for back-to-back titles.
The Bulldogs pulled off a massive upset in the under-16 Harold Matthews Cup, knocking out the minor premiers Penrith to set up a Grand Final meeting with Newcastle, who (like their under-19 side) held on for a two-point win over Parramatta. Newcastle and Canterbury met in the 2019 final, with the Knights winning 28–8, their last title. The Bulldogs will be searching for their first victory since 2011.
Queensland emerging under-18 squad named
Following the Mal Meninga Cup Grand Final, the QRL released an Emerging Origin squad, featuring 37 under-18 players. The side won’t play a New South Wales team but will meet for a camp on May 6. The biggest name of the bunch is Bulldogs’ half Karl Oloapu, who has already played eight NSW Cup games this year and will probably make his NRL debut at some point this year. All 15 statewide competition clubs are represented in the squad, alongside five players based outside of Queensland.
Brisbane Tigers: Mikael Ibrahim
Burleigh Bears: Sam Stephenson
CQ Capras: Mutua Brown
Ipswich Jets: Alton Naiyep, Dominique Sandow
Mackay Cutters: Xavier Kerrisk, Jaxon Purdue, Kai Simon, Matthew Watts
Northern Pride: Kohen Briggs
Norths Devils: Zac Herdegen, Tyreece Tait
Redcliffe Dolphins: Zac Garton, Mitchell Rogers, Larry Siala, Aholoka Toia, Michael Waqa
Souths Logan Magpies: Israel Leota
Sunshine Coast Falcons: Jett Elich, Mason Kira
Townsville Blackhawks: Reece Foley, Jamal Shibasaki, Elijah-Shane Tapau
Tweed Seagulls: Jett Jackson, Isaiah Scanlan
Western Clydesdales: Bud Smith
Wide Bay Bulls: Luke Adamson
Wynnum Manly Seagulls: Beni Allen, Harry Armstrong, Coby Black, Jett Bryce, Cameron BukowskiCanberra Raiders: Keahn Skipps
Canterbury Bulldogs: Karl Oloapu
Melbourne Storm: Stanley Huen
Parramatta Eels: Devonte Vaivela
Sydney Roosters: De La Salle Va’a
Two debuts at Campbelltown
Wests’ Jahream Bula and Manly’s Samuela Fainu made their NRL debuts in the same game over the weekend. Bula started at fullback for the Tigers, while Fainu came off the bench for the Sea Eagles in their 22–16 win. Bula had some bright moments at the back, running for 177 metres and breaking five tackles. Fainu played 40 minutes, making 45 metres from seven runs and five tackles with two misses.
Bula, aged 21, is a Keebra Park State High graduate who moved to Australia as a 13-year-old. Of Fijian and Indigenous descent, he was in the Titans system before leaving league to pursue basketball. A Runaway Bay junior, he returned to league shortly after and joined the Tigers in 2022, playing 20 games for their Jersey Flegg side before moving up to their NSW Cup side in 2023.
Fainu is the third of four brothers who have come through the Manly system and the second to play first grade for the club.3 In 2021, he won a Harold Matthews title with the Sea Eagles, scoring a try in their Grand Final win over Parramatta. He made both his SG Ball and Flegg debuts in 2022 and was moved straight into NSW Cup this year despite still being SG Ball eligible.
Around the grounds
For more information on all games head to 18thman.com.
Jersey Flegg (Round 8)
Canterbury 36 (D Gabrael 3, J Su’a 2, J O’Neill, L Vale tries; J Su’a 4 goals) d. Cronulla 10 (J Manuofetoa, M Waitere tries; M Riolo goal) at Belmore Sports Ground. Referee: B Seppala. Halftime: Canterbury 22–4. Tackles: J Todd 23 (CBY), L Crouch 35 (CRO). Run metres: J Su’a 225 (CBY), J Finau 133 (CRO). Debuts: D Marshall* (CBY); E Cocco*, J Foye (CRO). *Previously played Colts.
South Sydney 24 (K Bray, T Fletcher, C Kaho, J Nohra tries; J Nohra 4 goals) drew with Penrith 24 (R Wake 2, F Haycock, L Philp, A Williams tries; A William 2 goals) at Redfern Oval. Referee: B Greatbatch. Halftime: Souths 18–6. Tackles: L Grossemy 30 (SOU), B Scott 31 (PEN). Run metres: T Munro 165 (SOU), C Lawson 165 (PEN). Debuts: A Donnelly (SOU); J Wynbergen (PEN).
Newcastle 26 (E Hampson 2, L Pietzner 2, B Guyan tries; T Cant 2, J Afoa goals) d. Melbourne 18 (M Hill 2, J Musu tries; K Russell-Smith 3 goals) at Comely Banks Recreation Reserve. Referee: B Mani. Halftime: NEW 16–6. Tackles: A Hinchey 34 (MEL), B Greacen 34 (NEW). Run metres: G Satrick 122 (MEL), B Greacen 122 (NEW).
Wests Tigers 38 (Z Camroux, T Da Silva, C Fuatimau, H Henson, J Kirk, C Nicholas, S Vaihu tries; Z Camroux 5 goals) d. Manly 22 (T Wright 2, Z Dunford, C Navale tries; B Metcalfe 3 goals) at Campbelltown Stadium. Referee: R Morey. Halftime: 16–all. Tackles: C Nicholas 30 (WST), Z Dunford 35 (MAN). Run metres: J Kirk 175 (WST), B Metcalfe 148 (MAN). Debuts: T Da Silva, H Henson, K Laulili’i, J Miller (WST); B Konz (MAN).
Sydney 42 (I Guba 2, B Alexander, X Chatfield-Mooka, P Steinwede, C Tohi, L Tuinauvai tries; T Colley 7 goals) d. St George Illawarra 16 (B Johnson, W Pring, B Sepulveda tries; R Hodgson, A Ward goals) at Wentworth Park. Referee: P Eden. Halftime: Sydney 24–10. Tackles: M McCathie 25 (SYD), T Barlow 35 (SGI). Run metres: P Steinwede 122 (SYD), W Pring 150 (SGI). Debuts: T Henare-Schuster (SYD); C Ackers, E Cliff, J Liu, W Pring, H Stewart, L Tonga, A Ward (SGI)
Canberra Raiders, Parramatta Eels - BYE
Ladder: 1 Sydney (14pts), 2 Canterbury (12), 3 Cronulla (12), 4 Penrith (11), 5 South Sydney (11), 6 Parramatta (10), 7 Wests Tigers (8), 8 St George Illawarra (8), 9 Melbourne (6), 10 Newcastle (6), 11 Manly (4), 12 Canberra (4).
Hastings Deering Colts (Round 1)
Mackay 50 (H Arthur 3, K Bone 2, W Gething, H Stocks, T Strecker, T Sullivan tries; K Simon 7 goals) d. Norths 32 (B Dodd 2, J Charlton, W Curran, D Haydon, S Martyn, K O’Brien tries; R Briers 2 goals) at BB Print Stadium. Referee: C Kwik. Halftime: Norths 24–20. Tackles: K Bone 24 (MKY), S Smith 22 (NOR). Run metres: T Strecker 140 (MKY), B Dodd 149 (NOR).
Wynnum Manly 34 (B Anders, T Bowman, Z Edmonds, S Roache-Faimalo, T Ross, B Taylor tries; S Roache-Faimalo 5 goals) d. Northern Pride 10 (J Mosby, K Rosas tries; C Roberts goal) at BMD Kougari Oval. Referee: C Wegner. Halftime: Wynnum Manly 12–4. Tackles: T Ross 44 (WYN), S Cramp 35 (NPR). Run metres: S Roache-Faimalo 236 (WYN), B Salameh 157 (NPR).
Redcliffe 70 (M Roberts 3, C Thomas 3, A Hoad 2, T Otukolo 2, J Goulding, E Olsen, J Zammit tries; W Cahill 9 goals) def. Ipswich 16 (C Lalor-Brennan, K Rashleigh, G Teo tries; R Balint 2 goals) at Kayo Stadium. Referee: C Baker. Halftime: Redcliffe 32–12. Tackles: J Zammit 22 (RED), B Charles 48 (IPS). Run metres: J Goulding 207 (RED), C Cassidy-Natano 117 (IPS). Line breaks: M Roberts 4 (RED).
Brisbane Tigers 44 (M Beckett 2, B Ashton, G Fisher, B Seu-Easthope, T Veukiso, L West, T Woodman-Tuhoro tries; B Black 6 goals) d. Western Clydesdales 16 (Z Brown, B Leigh, B Smith tries; K Duggan 2 goals) at Totally Workwear Stadium. Referee: N McEwan. Halftime: Brisbane 22–12. Tackles: B Ashton 24 (BRI), B Patti 32 (WCL). Run metres: C Morgan 172 (BRI), F Kaiser Capewell 130 (WCL).
Tweed 34 (M Donovan 3, J De Groot, K Weir, J Wright tries; M Liles 5 goals) d. Townsville 6 (J Yallop try; R Wavik goal) at Jack Manski Oval. Referee: C Wilson. Halftime: Tweed 12–0. Tackles: J Hansen 28 (TSV), R Foran 28 (TWE). Run metres: J Yallop 194 (TSV), J Stewart-Lewis 173 (TSV).
Sunshine Coast 30 (C Herdegen 2, P McGinn 2, M Kira, L Puohotaua tries; C Herdegen 3 goals) d. Souths Logan 16 (C Evans, B Johnson, M Pakai tries; B Johnson 2 goals) at Sunshine Coast Stadium. Referee: L Sutton. Halftime: Sunshine Coast 14–6. Tackle: B Ginman 30 (SCF), M Pakai 32 (SOU). Run metres: B Woodford 151 (SCF), D Samoa 174 (SOU).
Mal Meninga Cup (Grand Final)
Redcliffe 36 (P Laine-Sietu 2, J Alefaio, J Fineanganofo, S Kava, E Rasmussen, M Waqa tries; J Fineanganofo 3, T Leofa, M Waqa goals) d. Townsville 18 (R Foley, E Kikau, A Manna, H Walker tries; X Hellyer goal) at Totally Workwear Stadium. Referee: A Rossiter. Halftime: Redcliffe 20–4. Player of the Match: M Rogers (RED).
SG Ball Cup (Semi-Finals)
Newcastle 10 (K McCarthy, F Sharpe tries; E Ferguson goal) d. Penrith 8 (D Afu, N Murphy tries) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: B Hunt. Halftime: Penrith 8–6.
Parramatta 14 (M Arthur, T Twidle, D Vaivela tries; E Sanders goal) d. Canberra 6 (J Clydsdale try; S Gash goal) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: C Robinson. Halftime: Parramatta 14–0.
Tarsha Gale Cup (Semi-Finals)
Canterbury 28 (C Eather 2, A Aros, T Finau, S Mahoni, E Raftstrand-Smith tries; T Finau 2 goals) d. Illawarra 0 at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: H Bayssari. Halftime: Canterbury 6–0.
Sydney 40 (B Talataina 2, M Barber, I Haumono, E Lopamaua, L Montgomery, T Papalii tries; M Barber 6 goals) d. Newcastle 4 (T West try) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: J Daizli. Halftime: Sydney 18–0.
Harold Matthews Cup (Semi-Finals)
Canterbury 30 (S Alatini 2, D Christodoulou, H Fua, I Seve tries; B Reuben 3, M Woods 2 goals) d. Penrith 16 (C McLean, T Patea, K Raven tries; H Wald 2 goals) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: L Greenfield. Halftime: Canterbury 12–10.
Newcastle 18 (H Loza 2, C Votano tries; C Votano 3 goals) d. Parramatta 18 (D Farrugia, J Uta, L Vella tries; D Farrugia 2 goals) at Leichhardt Oval. Referee: M Pitscheider. Halftime: Newcastle 12–6.
This weekend
Jersey Flegg Cup – Round 9
27/4 Cronulla vs. Melbourne, PointsBet Stadium, 5:35pm (local)
28/4 Canterbury vs. St George Illawarra, Belmore Sports Ground, 7pm (local)
29/4 Canberra vs. South Sydney, McDonalds Park, 11am (local)
29/4 Parramatta vs. Newcastle, Kellyville Park, 3pm (local)
29/4 Manly vs. Sydney, 4 Pines Park, 3:15pm (local)
30/4 Penrith vs. Wests Tigers, Windsor Sports Complex, 3pm (local)
Hastings Deering Colts – Round 2
29/4 Norths vs. Northern Pride, Bishop Park, 11am (local)
29/4 Townsville vs. Souths Logan, Jack Manski Oval, 12pm (local)
29/4 CQ Capras vs. Wynnum Manly, Browne Park, 2pm (local)
29/4 Redcliffe vs. Sunshine Coast, Kayo Stadium, 3pm (local)
29/4 Western Clydesdales vs. Ipswich, Clive Berghofer Stadium, 3:15pm (local)
30/4 Burleigh vs. Brisbane Tigers, UAA Park, 10:15am (local)
All games streaming live on qplus.tv
Harold Matthews Cup – Grand Final
29/4 Canterbury vs. Newcastle, Leichhardt Oval, 12:45pm (local)
SG Ball Cup – Grand Final
29/4 Newcastle vs. Parramatta, Leichhardt Oval, 2:30pm (local)
Tarsha Gale Cup – Grand Final
29/4 Sydney vs. Canterbury, Leichhardt Oval, 4:15pm (local)
All three Grand Finals streaming live on the NSWRL Facebook page
A truly stacked PBC side that featured Mariner, Roberts and Titans’ prospects Keano Kini, Tom Weaver and Oskar Bryant. Five Australian Schoolboys in total.
Wesley Pring, Ethan Cliff, Ashton Ward, Jett Liu and Hamish Stewart from Illawarra, and Corey Ackers and Loko Tonga from St George.
Manase made his NRL debut for Manly in 2018, while Sione is now with the Tigers and youngest brother Latu is in Manly’s lower grades.