Second will meet third in the MOJO Homes Illawarra Cup Match Of The Round this Saturday, as Wests Devils take on De La Salle at Sid Parrish Park. Both teams kickstarted their seasons with wins in Round One and should be evenly matched in this encounter.
The Red Devils were forced to battle hard against Dapto in their first match, trailing at halftime but finishing fast to seal a 28-12 win in front of their home fans.
New signing Sosaia Feki scored a double, while five-eighth Mitch Porter scored one and had a hand in another as the Devils put on 24 unanswered points in the second half. Grant Millington was also heavily involved as a runner and ball player as Wests fought back to secure a strong win.
De La delight
De La Salle came out on top in a topsy-turvy first-round match against the Thirroul Butchers, coming from behind to win 18-13 in an entertaining clash. Centre Trentham Petersen was on fire for the hosts in the first half, laying on passes for winger Thomas Rodwell and second-rower Kai Parker to score early on.
The Butchers fought back with 13 unanswered points to lead at halftime. However, they were thwarted by an Isaac Longmuir try and resilient defence from their opponents as De La Salle hung on for the win.
Wests came out victorious in both matches played between the Clubs last season, winning 25-10 in Round 7 and 30-16 in Round 14. De La Salle will be wary of their former teammate Wyndham Peachey, who is lining up at fullback for Wests this season, but confident in the skills of Tyla Tamou, who showed some of his class in his MOJO Homes Cup debut last weekend.
Second chance for Canaries
In the other matches this round, Dapto will be looking to recover from a disappointing second half against Wests when they play Collegians at home on Saturday. The Canaries led 12-0 through the first half-hour of the game but were outclassed in the second stanza by the Devils.
Collegians were dominant against Corrimal in their Round 1 match, hitting the ground running to win 44-0.
The Cougars have a chance to improve on their performance when they take on Thirroul at Gibson Park, as last year’s minor premiers look to record their first win of 2023 on return to their home track.
Harrigan Shield Fixtures
- Wests/Mt Kembla v Berkeley
- Figtree v Windang
- Northern Suburbs v Avondale
Words | Russ Haylock
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