The Illawarra Steelers have maintained their undefeated streak in the Harold Matthews Cup with a hard-fought 16-12 victory over the Wests Magpies on Saturday afternoon at Collegians Sporting Complex.
In SG Ball, the Shaun Timmins outfit struggled against the Magpies in the second half after trailing 18-10 at halftime, with the visitors scoring four tries to the Steelers solo four-pointer.
The Weekend Wrap, brought to you by Steelers.
Earlier, in Lisa Fiaola Cup action, the Steelers faced a tough match against the Newcastle Knights, losing 18-0. However, the U19s team had better luck, securing a 26-4 victory over the Knights. The Steelers were quick to score, with front rower Seriah Palepale kicking off the action. They built a 12-0 lead after Tori Shipton crossed the try line in the 20th minute.
Although the Knights responded with a try before halftime, the Steelers answered back with two more tries in the second half, ultimately securing their win
Winning Streak Continues
In the Harold Matthews Cup, the visitors scored first, but Steelers prop Mason Andrews quickly responded, narrowing the gap to 6-4. A penalty from Tayler Humphries brought the scores level at halftime.
The Magpies again took the lead early in the second half, establishing a six-point advantage. However, Jaxon Ballinger leveled the score in the 54th minute.
With the match hanging in the balance, Oliver Burton scored with just two minutes remaining, securing a hard-fought victory for his team.
SG Ball was on the back foot from the outset, with the Magpies racing in three unanswered tries in the first 15 minutes. However, back-to-back tries from Drew Langdon and Daniel Meafou narrowed the deficit to four points in the 26th minute, but the Magpies extended their lead to 18-10 by halftime.
After the break, two additional tries from the Magpies increased their lead to 30-10 with just 20 minutes remaining. Kade Reed gave the hosts a glimmer of hope by scoring a try, but the Magpies responded with two more tries to secure their victory.