Harold Matthews, SG Ball, Tarsha Gale Cup NSWRL Rugby League Scores

Catch up on all the latest ground information in the Harold Matthews, SG Ball and Tarsha Gale Cup from round seven onwards.

EEL NEXT ELECTRICAL FORM

Parramatta retained a share of Harold Matthews’ top spot after beating Manly 30-6 at Brookvale.

The Eels started strong with a brilliant performance early, racing in three quick tries and a double from Zaidas Muagututia put them 18-0 in 15 minutes.

The Sea Eagles struggled throughout and felt hopeful when they were 12 down at the break, but ultimately couldn’t stop Parramatta from scoring five straight wins.

KNIGHTS KEEP PHYSICAL DRAGONS IN BELL

A resurgent St George failed to defeat Harold Matt’s Premiership contenders Newcastle, going down 20-4 at Kogarah.

The Dragons clinched their first win of the season last week, but it was a nice shot from Connor Votano’s captain that keeps the Knights in the hunt for a top two finish.

The full-back booked the goal for his side, ending with a double and a personal tally of 12 points.

Newcastle showed why they are a leading hope at SG Ball too, ending St George’s winning streak with a 30-6 win.

In the opening 35 minutes, Taj Blackman and Caleb Garvie helped the visitors take a 12-0 lead at the break, while Jye Linnane went 5-8 in the shadow of half-time.

They made up for that disadvantage early in the second half with Ethan Ferguson and Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana helping extend the lead to 24 and making the task too difficult for the Dragons.

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STEELERS ELIMINATE THE BEARS

Illawarra remains firmly in the final race after dropping the hammer on North Sydney in the Harold Matthews Cup with a 50-6 result.

The Steelers were in a reckless mood, opening a huge 30-6 lead at the break and continuing on their quest to race in 10 attempts.

Hayden Buchanan was unstoppable and scored a hat trick while Tom Kirk launched a double for good measure.

A Mia-Rose Walsh double inspired the Tarsha Gale Cup Steelers to a 24-10 win over the Bears.

In a consistently close fight, North Sydney refused to walk away, closing in on four points midway through the second half before the Steelers finished well with late tries on Darcy Eade and Shaye Shipton.

The sweep was completed by the SG Ball Cup squad in charge of North Sydney.

Miles Elder gave the visitors the best possible start with a try within two minutes but it was all Illawarra from that point on.

They raced in four tries to hold a manageable 26-4 lead at halftime.

FLYING COCKS FLOAT OVER THE COAST

A late bounce saw the Sydney Roosters beat the Central Coast 36-16 at the Morry Breen Oval.

The home side held a 16-6 lead with 16 minutes left, but that was quickly erased with five tries, with the Roosters staying within reach of the top six.

Na’oia’ehansi Tofaeono had two attempts to win.

SOUTH AND BALMAIN SHARE THE DANGER

In the first of three games at Redfern, South Sydney kept their belated finals at the Harold Matts on course with a dominant 22-10 win over the Balmain Tigers.

In a frantic end-to-end opening, both sides paid the price for poor handling.

Balmain’s best chance came after a brilliant 40-20 from halfback Alex Conti, while his opponent Matthew Humphries nearly dug in for Souths in the 16th minute.

When the points finally came in, it was the end of a magic hold by Souths’ Charlie Mann. The winger flew high in AFL style and landed in the left corner with a spot-on kick from Tylan Black Berryman.

From there, a must-win match for Balmain quickly unraveled. First the restart sailed at full power, and they fell further back in the next set as Marshall Le Maitre charged over from the dummy half.

Trailing 10-0, the second half didn’t get any better for the Tigers. They were quickly reduced to 12 men when props master Douglas Tuala went into sin over backchats.

The Souths quickly capitalized on the one-man advantage, and Mann ended an all-out raid on the defensive line as the Rabbitohs took a 16-0 lead.

The Souths continued to dominate possession, and with Humphries in full swing, the Rabbitohs threatened to continue work. Center Philip Sosaiete was the next scorer, reaching under the post after a hurtful attack against the grain.

But just like in recent weeks, the Tigers refused to back down. Attempts against Edwin Langi and winger Jonah Watson reduced the gap to 12 but it was too late and their hopes of reaching the final now appear to have been dashed.

At the SG Ball, the Souths came within a hair’s breadth of their first win, eventually falling 26-20 to Balmain in a thriller.

A third win keeps Balmain’s faint finals hopes alive, but it was shaky as Souths roared victory in the closing minutes. A pass from Dane Towns missed with a wide open line before a no-try rule ended their day.

Early in the all-ball contest, Souths looked anything but a winning combination. Early raids almost ended with a try from Oliver Juras on the left while center Bailey Scholes was bundled into contact on the right.

After surviving the initial attack, Balmain wasted little time snapping the first four-pointer. Winger William Malloy found space along the left touchline when Brenden Naicori came on in support to score his first goal of the half.

Souths then equalized through Brent Hawkins’ half and continued to look dangerous, but the Tigers batted through Naicori again to lead 10-6.

In a tit-for-tat contest, Juras couldn’t believe his luck as the seas parted and the Souths winger cruised over to make it to 10.

After trading attempts early in the second half, Naicori scored his hat trick and displayed immense power and strength to give Balmain a crucial 22-14 lead.

A second-half double against Souths center Daniel Wright set the stage before Ratu Sovau sealed Souths’ fate with a four-pointer of his own in the final minute.

The ladder, who spearheads the Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy, had little trouble in the Tarsha Gale Cup, scoring Souths 44-0.

The home side had all the early ball but failed to score before the Roosters turned the tables with five first-half tries, including a brace on top-flight playmaker Skyla Adams, to lead 28-0.

With superior fitness and skill, the reigning Premiers rammed the advantage home with another three tries after the break on a day that saw Ally Bullman finish with a personal tally of 12 points.

Bulldogs stun magpies in SG ball

Canterbury edged out Wests 14-12 to maintain their place at the top of the table from Harold Matts after seven rounds.

In the first game at the Kirkham Oval, the Bulldogs jumped out of the gates and led 10-0 at the break.

With attempts at Byronn Laupepa and full-back Luke Laulilii, the Magpies found themselves in front just seven minutes after the restart.

With two to go, the Campbelltown lads were desperate to end their triple losing streak and they appeared on track for a season revival.

But with nine minutes remaining, Ratu Rinakama broke their hearts. The winger’s try was enough to thwart Canterbury’s fourth straight win.

Try doubles to support Damon Marshall and center Michael Gabrael saw Canterbury roll the Wests Magpies 24-16 in an SG Ball overcook.

After last week’s entertaining draw against heavyweight Newcastle, the fifth-placed Magpies headed to Kirkham as big favorites only to fall 4-12 at half-time.

Reliable hooker Tallyn Da Silva boosted West’s hopes with two of their own in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Canterbury improved their record to a healthy 4-3 win/loss record.

It was a two-way street in the Tarsha Gale Cup clash at the Leichhardt Oval as the undefeated Bulldogs extended their run to six with a 38-6 win over the Wests Tigers.

Despite losing five in the trot, Wests scored two of the first three tries through Iemaima Etuale and Ashanti Pennell to lead 8-4 after 14 minutes.

The Bulldogs responded with the next two and led by four at the break. In the second half, Canterbury added another five unanswered fours, with Litia Fusi and Tutaleva Lasalo ending the day with doubles.

Originally published as NSWRL Junior Reps: Full Wrap, Results, Gallery of Matts, Ball and Tarsha Gale Round Seven