The SG Ball Cup Eels continued their perfect start to 2024 with a comprehensive win over Balmain Tigers at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.
As the Eels' other Junior Reps sides enjoyed a bye, it was left to the SG Ball team to fly the Blue & Gold colours in Round 3, and they did so with style.
The high-flying U19s side made it three wins from three to start the season as they defeated the Tigers in humid conditions on Saturday.
All four Junior Reps teams will return to action this weekend, each facing the Illawarra Steelers in Wollongong.
SG Ball
Match: Eels v Tigers
Round 3 -
home Team
Eels
away Team
Tigers
Venue: Eric Tweedale Stadium, Sydney
The Eels scored their third successive win to kick off the SG Ball Cup season by brushing past Balmain Tigers at Eric Tweedale Stadium.
Parramatta led from start to finish en route to a 38-12 victory, which places them in equal-first place ahead of next week's match against fellow table-toppers Illawarra.
Dylan Brettle was first to score following an Eels scrum win inside their own quarter. The scheming half threw a lavish dummy that fooled the entire defence, then galloped 85 metres untouched to touch down between the posts.
Right winger Mohamed Alameddine added his name to the scoresheet after receiving a deft pass from Lorenzo Talataina and crashing over in the corner.
Jai Camilleri then showcased how dangerous he is out of dummy half with a powerful burst from short range to plunge over for a trademark try.
On the back of a torrential run of possession late in the first half, the Tigers scored two converted tries to reduce their deficit to two points as the teams hit the sheds.
The second half was barely a minute old when interchange forward Lawson Moffitt set about righting the ship. He bent the Tigers defence with a charge towards their line, then produced a big offload to Beau Lucien who planted the ball just left of the posts.
After a period of going set-for-set with the visitors, Parramatta asserted their authority with three tries in the final ten minutes.
Firstly, Sebastian Piukala set up Javahn Stevenson-Hala to dive over next to the posts. Then Dylan Brettle heaved a cutout pass for a flying Dominic Farrugia to scream past his opposite winger and score a well-earned try.
Finally, Brettle and Farrugia combined once again down the left wing to lay on one of the best tries of the day for Junior Fagalele.
Eels 38 (Tries: Dylan Brettle, Mohamed Alameddine, Jai Camilleri, Beau Lucien, Javahn Stevenson-Hala, Dominic Farrugia, Junior Fagalele; Goals: Dominic Farrugia 5) defeated Tigers 12.
