RED AND BLACK REPORT 2024: EDITION NO.31
The Red and Black Report shines a spotlight on Canterbury Rugby League juniors featuring in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions.
Canterbury products were in action in the latest rounds of the NRL, NSW Cup, Queensland Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup (NSWRL under-21s) and NSW Women’s Premiership.
NRL
West Coast-bred Kiwi and former Halswell Hornets junior Griffin Neame played 53 minutes off the bench in North Queensland Cowboys’ 38-30 win over Melbourne Storm, racking up 13 runs for 153 metres and 29 tackles.
Aranui Eagles product Daejarn Asi played his part in Parramatta Eels’ memorable 44-40 upset of St George Illawarra Dragons, the halfback making 17 runs for 120 metres, laying on a try and kicking four conversions.
Match Highlights 🎥 – #NRLEelsDragons
Maika Sivo scored a hat-trick as the Eels left St George Illawarra relying on other results to make the finals after scoring the most points by a losing team in the game’s history. pic.twitter.com/7A7kqptnF8
— NRL (@NRL) August 31, 2024
The Dolphins kept their finals hopes alive and Aranui Eagles junior Jamayne Isaako stayed in the hunt for his second straight NRL pointscoring title, scoring a try and kicking six goals in the Dolphins’ stunning 40-6 defeat of Brisbane Broncos.
With 221 points, Isaako is five points behind the Cowboys’ Valentine Holmes with one round to go. The Kiwi Test winger also made two line-breaks and 115 metres from 12 carries.
Isaako dives over 🐬 #NRLDolphinsBroncos pic.twitter.com/vtiurGIT0O
— NRL (@NRL) August 31, 2024
Hornby Panthers product Jordan Riki made 11 runs for 83 metres and 21 tackles on a night where not much went right for the Broncos.
Burnham Chevaliers junior Jazz Tevaga signed off in style from his nine-season tenure at the Warriors, celebrating in an incredible 30-28 comeback win at Cronulla.
Match Highlights 🎥 – #NRLSharksWarriors
Shaun Johnson engineered a fairytale end to his illustrious career after laying on the match winning try in the dying seconds to complete a stunning Warriors comeback to down the Sharks. pic.twitter.com/GOjyzV8wgt
— NRL (@NRL) August 31, 2024
For the second straight week, the 138-game veteran was promoted to start in the front-row in a late change and racked up 13 runs for 82 metres and 22 tackles in 36 typically impactful minutes.
NSW CUP
The Warriors went down to Newtown Jets 39-36 in their last match of the regular season. Linwood hooker Makaia Tafua played the full 80 minutes – producing a try assist, six runs for 58 metres and a game-high 38 tackles – while Halswell front-rower Tanner Stowers-Smith contributed seven hit-ups and 15 tackles in 36 minutes off the bench.
The Warriors face Penrith Panthers in a sudden death semi on Saturday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval.
Burnham Chevaliers junior Siua Wong played a big role in Sydney Roosters’ season-closing upset of Canberra Raiders, scoring a second-half try and making 121 metres from 11 runs in the 34-21 win.
QUEENSLAND CUP
It was a tough weekend for the two Canterbury products featuring in the first week of the Queensland Cup finals, with Caius Faatili’s Sunshine Coast Falcons blanked 38-0 by Northern Pride and Sheldon Pitama’s Redcliffe Dolphins crashing 46-18 to Norths Devils.
Former Hornby and Canterbury Bulls star Faatili played 53 minutes at prop, contributing 10 runs for 77 metres and 26 tackles. Northern Bulldogs product Pitama missed the Dolphins’ loss.
It’s sudden-death for both teams this weekend: the Dolphins host CQ Capras on Saturday and the Falcons welcome PNG Hunters to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
JERSEY FLEGG
West Coast back-rower Callum Donaldson’s Canterbury Bulldogs beat fellow Halswell Hornets junior player and centre Oliver Lawry’s Manly Sea Eagles 28-26.
Linwood Keas premiership winner Te Kaio Cranwell came off the bench in Newcastle Knights’ 16-6 defeat of Melbourne Storm.
Riccarton Knights prop and Storm regular K-Ci Newton-Whare missed the match but caught up with Cranwell post-match.
Felix Faatili scored Cronulla Sharks’ last try after coming off the bench in a 20-4 defeat of the Warriors. Fellow Hornby Panthers product Richie Tupuailei was 18th man.
The third-placed Bulldogs take on the second-placed Penrith Panthers in Saturday’s Flegg major semi, while Cranwell and Faatili are likely to square off in the Knights-Sharks elimination semi.
NSW WOMEN’S PREMIERSHIP
Sydenham Swans’ Isabella Waterman, who made her NRLW debut on the wing for Newcastle last month, played his third straight match in the centres for the Knights’ second-tier team in a 20-4 win over Wests Tigers.
Papanui Tigers second-rower Jaydika Tafua featured in Cronulla Sharks’ 18-10 loss to Canterbury Bulldogs.
Canterbury rep and Woolston Rams halfback Cassie Siataga was in Wentworthville Magpies’ No.7 jumper as they went down to Parramatta Eels 12-10.
