Parramatta staged one of the best comebacks all season to put on five unanswered tries to win the club's first Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup 28-16 over the Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy in today’s Under 19s Women’s Grand Final.
It meant a double celebration for the western Sydney club after the Eels had taken the Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s Girls) Grand Final earlier in the day at Leichhardt Oval.
They trailed 16-0 midway through the first half but then put on two tries before the break and another three afterwards to claim the silverware in style.
The Roosters were hunting their third title in four years and were under the guidance of True Blues Keeley Davis and Corban Baxter with former Australian Schoolgirls coach Mel Spero also on the coaching staff.
But the Eels took the spoils today and all the player awards with lock Ryvrr-Lee Alo (pictured below) named Player of the Series and prop Tess McWilliams Player of the Match (pictured above), after her double seemed to spark Parramatta into action.
“It’s amazing,” said Eels coach Charlotte Henry.
“I suppose we always knew we had the grit; had the courage. We were brave in getting back but we knew just to trust the process and take it one play at a time.
“Our forwards are the heart and soul of our team leading from the front and doing everything for us in both attack and defence.
“They led the way for us today – couldn’t be more proud of them.”
It was anyone’s game at the break with the Roosters leading 16-12.
It was all the Roosters early on as they skipped out to a 16-0 lead after 17 minutes with their forwards took charge.
Off a flying 30 metre run from fullback Logan Fletcher, prop Te Raukura Leafe crashed over two plays later. Fletcher still had an influence by kicking the conversion.
Seven minutes later and hooker Mahlie Cashin took charge from dummy-half and saw a small enough hole for her to dart through.
Then interchange forward Aliyah Nasio was just minutes on the field when she scored after the Roosters had been applying the screws with repeat sets on the Eels line.
But then the match took a 180-degree turn through the efforts of McWilliams.
She turned on the speed from 10 metres out to crash over in the 23rd minute and then did the same from 25 metres out four minutes later.
McWilliams fended off two players and dragged another three over the line to grab her double. Centre Alleya Scrivens converted both (16-12) to set up a knife-edge second half.
Things didn’t start well for the Eels, when captain and lock Ryvyy-Lee Alo failed her HIA and could take no further part in the game.
Regardless it was the Eels props working with utility hooker Rory Muller that put Parramatta in front for the first time in the match.
First McWilliams got close to the chalk before Muller signalled to her No.8 Taylah Falaniko for a crash-play, which was exactly what happened (18-16).
Eight minutes later and the Eels halfback Aaliyah Soufan scored to put one hand on the trophy, but second rower Fontayne Tufuga wrapped up the magnificent comeback with an 80-metre runaway try.
She tucked the ball up under her armpit and dodged defenders before finally falling over the line with seconds remaining on the clock.
