Junior Reps Wrap: Eels score a treble against Sharks

The Eels remain undefeated in the SG Ball Cup, coming from behind for the second week in a row to defeat the Sharks in Round 2.

Parramatta trailed by eight midway through the first half before scoring three unanswered tries to secure victory.

Cronulla opened the scoring with a try in the first set of the match, but the Eels were quick to strike back.

Lorenzo Talataina did it all himself for the Eels' opener, beating a number of Sharks defenders in a diagonal burst to the line. Dominic Farrugia added the extras. 

Farrugia soon found himself crossing the line, steaming onto a Dylan Brettle cut out pass and sprinting to the left corner. The Eels sharpshooter converted again to take the Eels out to a 10-4 lead midway through the half.

However a Sharks try in the shadow of halftime levelled the scores as the two sides hit the sheds.

Cronulla blasted out to an eight-point with a pair of tries early in the second half, but it would be the last time they scored as the Eels surged to victory.

Tyrese Lokeni kickstarted the comeback when he ran onto a Dylan Brettle pass and scored under the posts, closing the margin to two points.

Brettle turned from assister to scorer as the Eels hit the lead. Winger Mohamed Alameddine split the Sharks defence with a strong yardage carry, and the halfback finished the job with a 20-metre sprint to the line.

Jai Camilleri wrapped the match up just before full-time when he threw a deceptive dummy and strolled over next to the ruck.

The Eels will aim to make it three from three when they host Balmain in Round 3 at Eric Tweedale Stadium.

Eels 28 (Tries: Lorenzo Talataina, Dominic Farrugia, Tyrese Lokeni, Dylan Brettle, Jai Camilleri; Goals: Dominic Farrugia 4) defeated Sharks 18.

Harold Matthews Cup

Attacking football was on the menu in the Eels' entertaining victory over the Sharks in in round 2 of the Harold Matthews Cup at PointsBet Stadium.

Seven tries were scored in a frantic opening half, before the Eels controlled proceedings in the second stanza.

Lincoln Fletcher was the first to score, backing up Ezra Leota’s long break out of dummy half. The halfback converted his own try for an early six-point lead.

Cronulla replied soon after with an unconverted try to narrow the margin to two points.

The Sharks then made a meal of the kick off and Parramatta took full advantage. The defence were unable to stop Maison Tausia-Ong as the lock ran a powerful line to score.

Just a few minutes later Samuel Polley made it back-to-back tries for the Eels, taking a superb pass from Talen Risati to cross on the right edge.

A converted try to Lincoln Fletcher followed and the Eels had jumped out to a 24-4 lead inside the opening 20 minutes.

The Sharks then crossed for two converted tries of their own as the first-half cascade of points continued.

Another unconverted try to the Sharks in the opening ten minutes of the second half brought it back to a four-point game, but from there the Eels took control.

Firstly, Natututasina Leota and Cyrus Bloomfield linked to put Nathan Howlett across in the corner. A stunning sideline conversion from Fletcher extended the lead to 10 points.

Bloomfield then put the match beyond the Sharks' reach when he ran onto a delightful short ball from Lincoln Fletcher and crashed through the Sharks defence to score.

Following their Round 3 bye, the Eels will take on the Steelers in Wollongong with a third consecutive win in their sights.

Eels 34 (Tries: Lincoln Fletcher 2, Maison Tausia-Ong, Samuel Polley, Cyrus Bloomfield, Nathan Howlett; Goals: Lincoln Fletcher 5) defeated Sharks 20.

Lisa Fiaola Cup

The Eels produced a combination of power plays and uncompromising defence to record their first Lisa Fiaola Cup win of 2024

For the first 15 minutes, the Eels stuck to their defensive systems and repelled multiple waves of attack.

When they finally had the opportunity to put pressure on the Cronulla line, the Parramatta girls delivered. Fontayne Tufuga went perilously close in a 10-metre charge, then from the play-the-ball, Leonie Vei would not be denied as she crashed through defenders to score.

The rest of the first half was an arm wrestle, and then it was Cronulla who crossed in the right corner to open the scoring for the second half. The missed conversion left them two points adrift with 25 minutes remaining.

Once more the game sat on a knife’s edge until the Eels completed their best set of the match with just a couple of minutes left on the clock.

Bailey Ma-Chong took a 20 metre tap and broke into open field. A couple of tackles later, Leonie Vei brushed past defenders on her way to touching down for her second try of the day. 

The Eels will look to complete back-to-back wins when they face the Steelers in Round 4 following next week's bye.

Eels 12 (Tries: Leonia Vei 2; Goals: Bailey Ma-Chong 2) defeated Sharks 4.

Tarsha Gale Cup

The Eels were unable to capitalise on a promising start as they fell to defeat in their Round 2 match against Cronulla.

Parramatta had the hosts under pressure in the early stages, and looked likely to score on several occasions as they made inroads through the defence with second-phase football.

A disallowed try to Caitlin Peadon at the midpoint of the first half provided the turning point as the Sharks scored between the posts in the following seven tackle set.

Cronulla added a brace of unconverted tries in the next 10 minutes as they took a 12-point lead into the break.

A sin bin reduced the Eels to 12 players early in the second half, and the Sharks took advantage by crossing twice more.

Kalisi Mahe and Lindsay Tui combined for a fantastic try as the Eels finished on a high. Strong-running prop Mahe started and ended the play, putting Tui into space on the right wing and backing up on the inside to score between the posts.

The Eels will look to secure their first win of the season following a bye when they face the Steelers in Round 4.

Sharks 22 defeated Eels 6 (Try: Kalisi Mahe; Goal: Bella Sandford).