The Illawarra Steelers completed a clean sweep at home, winning four from four in the final round of the NSWRL junior rep season.
On a red-letter day for the club, three teams qualified for the finals, with the Tarsha Gale U19s girls claiming the minor premiership and the Lisa Fiaola U17s finishing in the top two. The SG Ball U19 boys also qualified for the finals, finishing sixth with a 6-3 win/loss record for the season.
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Brad Reh’s U17 girls trailed the Cronulla Sharks 4-0 early before a Tori Shipton double gave them an 8-4 halftime lead.
The visitors closed the gap to 14-10 as the two sides traded four-pointers before the Steelers clicked into gear, scoring four unanswered tries to take control of the game 38-10. The Sharks scored a late consolation try for a 38-14 result.
Courtney Crawford’s U19 girls also found themselves on the back foot against the Sharks early as the visitors snatched the first try. From there, it was all Steelers, scoring eight unanswered tries, including four to centre Indie Bostock, who proved a handful for the opposition every time she touched the ball.
The Steelers eventually ran out 38-4 winners to claim the minor premiership, earning a layoff in the first week of the final series.
The Harold Matthews Cup U17 boys finished a luckless season on high with a hard-fought 20-16 win over the North Sydney Bears.
Lock Mason Andrews crossed for the host’s first try before fullback Cooper Morrison gave the Steelers a handy 8-0 lead after 22 minutes.
The Bears hit back either side of the break to snatch a 10-8 lead. The visitors extended their lead in the 42nd minute before tries to hard-working hooker Axel Anthony, prop Hayden Whatman and halfback Jack Talbott to claim just their third win of the season.
With their playoff destiny resting on a win in the final round, the Steelers U19 boys got off to a flyer against the Bears with five tries in the first half, including a double to center Hayden Buchanan for a 28-0 at the break.
The Bears were the first to strike in the second half, scoring back-to-back tries before the Steelers wrestled back momentum with unanswered tries to Clay Baldock and Jackson Rieck. The 38-12 victory secured a finals berth for the Shaun Timmins-coached outfit in his first season in charge.