Junior Reps Wrap: Fiaola & Matts continue hot streaks

The Eels' Harold Matthews Cup team continued their undefeated record when they overcame the Central Coast Roosters at Woy Woy on Saturday.

It took just one minute for Andes Johansson to register the first try of the match when he palmed off a defender close to the line.

Ryda Talagi was next to score after splitting the defence with an angled run behind the ruck. Johansson then grabbed his second try after chasing through a bomb from Talen Risati.

It was again bombs away for the Eels when Lincoln Fletcher’s kick produced another Roosters error and Wesley Pakoti was there to force the ball.

The Roosters took the field goal option as the halftime siren sounded, producing the unusual score line of 22-1 at the break.

Samuel Polley and Andes Johansson combined to put Samuel Mardini over at the start of the second half as the Eels extended their lead to 25 points.

Four tries to the Roosters in just over 15 minutes reduced the margin to just five points and moved spectators to the edge of their seats.

A penalty goal to Lincoln Fletcher with a couple of minutes remaining relieved the pressure and the Eels held on for the victory.

The Eels trek to Melbourne to take on the Storm in Round 7 this Saturday.

Eels 28 (Andes Johansson 2, Ryda Talagi, Wesley Pakoti, Samuel Mardini. Goals: Lincoln Fletcher 3) defeated Roosters 21.

Lisa Fiaola Cup

The Eels Lisa Fiaola Cup side hit the magical 50-point mark in their demolition of the highly-fancied Roosters at Eric Tweedale Stadium on Saturday.

A tight contest was tipped with both sides having lost just won game all season, but the Eels blew the Roosters off the park with ten tries.

Jasmine Rorani scored first for Parramatta after just two minutes when she scythed through the Roosters defence near the quarter line and powered over the fullback to touch down.

Left winger Sienna Bonnelo was soon on the score sheet after a superb cut out pass from Logan Lemusu opened a channel for her to crash over out wide.

Aaliyah Soufan then left the Roosters floundering when she propped off her left foot and cut back inside defenders to score.

Terrific defensive sets from Parramatta kept the Roosters pinned in their own half and laid the platform for the Eels' fourth try. This time the Eels found success on the right side as Essence Alo sent Fiafia Freedom Crichton Ropati on her way to the corner.

The Eels forwards were completely dominating their opponents as they marched downfield from the kick off. Fontayne Tufuga then stamped her class on the game when she broke the line and found Danielle Seckold in support for the try.

But the Eels were still not done with the first half scoring. Once more they advanced to the Roosters quarter in the kick-off set and Essence Alo planted the ball over the line for her side to take a 28-point lead into the break.

Parramatta’s outstanding defence squashed any hope of a Roosters second-half resurgence, and the tries followed.

With the Eels again surging towards the Roosters line, Bailey Ma-Chong tested the markers on a narrow blind. They did well to hold her up but the clever Eels rake popped an offload to Sienna Bonello to grab her second try of the day. Ma-Chong added the icing to the cake with a cracking sideline conversion.

The Roosters finally posted their only try but this proved to be a minor speed bump to the Eels scoring spree.

Khyliah Gray rampaged through the middle of the ruck to score between the sticks. Then another powerful carry from Gray set the stage for Sharon Latapu to slice through next to the ruck and run around the fullback to score.

Bailey Ma Chong completed the Eels scoring with a trademark dart from dummy half to dive over just to the right of the posts.

The Eels will be back at Eric Tweedale Stadium next Saturday when they face the Central Coast Roosters.

Eels 50 (Tries: Sienna Bonello 2, Jasmine Rorani, Aaliyah Soufan, Freedom Crichton Ropati, Danielle Seckold, Essence Alo, Khyliah Gray, Sharon Latapu, Bailey Ma-Chong. Goals: Bailey Ma-Chong 4, Anika Penitani 1) 

SG Ball Cup

The Eels SG Ball team lost their third successive match when they fell to the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday.

After both sides traded sets for the opening fifteen minutes, the Knights scored back to back tries to kick out to a 12-point lead.

Devonte Vaivela brought the Eels back into the contest in the shadow of half time, catching the defence off guard with a try out of dummy half.

The Knights extended their lead early in the second stanza with a try in the right corner, before Devonte Vaivela’s slashing run provided the Eels reply midway through the half.

Newcastle’s next try appeared to put the game out of reach, but the Eels refused to yield. Javahn Stevenson-Hala could not be stopped in a bullocking charge to plant the ball to the right of the posts, and the margin was cut to four points.

Unfortunately the Eels could not mount an attack in the final minutes and the Knights held on for their fifth win of the season.

Parramatta will travel to Melbourne this week to face the Storm as they look to return to winning ways. 

Knights 20 defeated Eels 16 (Tries: Devonte Vaivela 2, Javahn Stevenson-Hala. Goals: Dominic Farrugia 2)

Tarsha Gale Cup

The Eels' Tarsha Gale side produced a spirited defensive performance but it was not enough to overcome the formidable Roosters Indigenous Academy at Eric Tweedale Stadium.

Errors were costly for the team, with the Roosters applying pressure from the territory and pressure they were gifted.

Parramatta demonstrated tremendous grit to keep their line intact for nearly twenty minutes, but unfortunately conceded three tries just before half-time.

A further two Roosters tries followed in the opening ten minutes of the second half, but then the Eels found their groove in attack.

After courageously defending multiple sets on their line, the Eels chanced their hand by spinning the ball wide to Caitlin Peadon inside their own quarter. The fleet-footed centre sprinted downfield and was finally caught on the Roosters 30-metre line, drawing a penalty and sin bin when a second defender flopped late into the tackle.

Another Peadon charge from the resultant penalty drove the play into the Roosters quarter, before Ryvrr Lee Alo brushed aside defenders to score between the posts.

Parramatta made it back-to-back tries when a long cut-out pass from Alo to Lindsay Tui was followed by a wrap around with Keely Steven, who then sent Aysha-Rain Pietersz on her way to the corner.

The Eels next face the Raiders at Eric Tweedale Stadium this coming Saturday.

Roosters 26 defeated Eels 10 (Tries: Ryvrr-Lee Alo, Aysha-Rain Pietersz. Goal: Bella Sandford).