Steelers Secure Inaugural Remara Cup
The Illawarra Steelers defeated the St George Dragons 32-6 in SG Ball, taking home the inaugural Remara Cup, played between the two Remara-sponsored pathway clubs on Saturday at WIN Stadium.
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The hosts started strongly with three unanswered tries in the opening 20 minutes, taking an 18-0 lead into the break.
The Dragons were next to score before the Steelers put further points on the board through Mason Phillips, Connor Sadler, and Joseph Elton.
With several players missing through injury, five-eighth Aaymon Fitzgibbon had a strong kicking game and laid on two try assists in the second half.
“It was still a little bit sloppy coming out of the second half, but other than that, we just held on, just kept going, just kept working, and that’s what we needed to get better at,” Fitzgibbon said.
“It was a bit different having a whole new left edge, obviously with injuries and stuff, but it was good that we all synced and got the work done.”
Coach Shaun Timmins was also pleased with the result after last week’s disappointing loss to the Magpies.
“It was disappointing last week, so we started well this week, killed the ball, which made a massive difference, and we defended a lot better.
“We gave ourselves a chance to get into the game and scored some nice tries.”
(Pictured) Remara Performance Player Of Match: Daniel Meafou
Harold Matts Remain Undefeated
The Steelers Harold Matthews side has managed to secure a 12-10 victory in the final minutes for the second consecutive week.
After falling behind 4-0 early in the game, Jaxon Ballinger scored the first of his two tries in the 15th minute, giving his team a 6-4 lead that they maintained into halftime.
The Dragons were the first to score five minutes into the second half through Phoenix Johns to retake the lead 10-6.
The task became more challenging for the Steelers when interchange forward Cruz McGuinness was sent to the sin bin. However, they defended fiercely until Ballinger scored again in the 55th minute, allowing them to regain the lead and achieve a second consecutive come-from-behind victory.
Fullback Oliver Burton was one of the Steelers best, looking dangerous with ball in hand.
“It was, it was a tough game. It didn’t come out the best, but we got the two points, so we’ll learn from it. And we’ll move on.
“We always put in the effort and play to the final whistle.”
Coach Jamie Szczerbanik praised his team’s defensive effort and ability to hang in during challenging periods.
“This whole competition is just about the boys showing resilience. It’s not about how you win at the moment; it’s about just getting the two points.
“To have a Sin Bin there in that second half and keep turning up defensively in that period and not leak any points, I think that gave us confidence that when we had 13 back on the field, we had the talent to get the job done.”
“The last two weeks have just shown that the game goes for 60 minutes, and we play for a full 60 minutes.
“So, if you want to beat us, you will have to match us.”
(Pictured) Remara Performance Player Of Match: Mason Andrews
Lisa Fiaola With Work To Do
In the first match of the day, the Lisa Fiaola Cup Steelers slipped to 7th after their 16-6 loss to the Sharks. Trailing 10-0 at the half and 16-0 six minutes later, the Steelers only try came in the dying minutes through second row Holly Czornobej.
(Pictured) Remara Performance Player Of Match: Tahanni Kaufusi
Tarsha Gale Get Back To Basics For Win In Wet
The Steelers struck back in the U19s Tarsha Gale Cup with a hard-fought 12-8 win. The Sharks took an early lead by scoring two tries, with their first try coming in the 13th minute. The hosts responded with a converted try from Seriah Palepale, but trailed 8-6 at halftime after the Sharks scored their second in the 20th minute.
Steelers lock Trinity Tauaneai scored after a strong run to give the Steelers a 12-8 advantage 5 minutes into the second half, which they clung to for the remainder of the match.
Tauaneai said the team stayed positive at half time, despite some uncharacteristic errors and a two-point deficit.
“We knew we were still in the game; it was only eight to six. We just talked to each other, made sure we had each other’s backs, and we’d pull free,” Tauaneai said post-match.
After an error-riddled first half in the wet, Coach Courtney Crawford implored her team to play to the conditions.
“We made a fair few errors in the first half, and we just didn’t play to the conditions, and our ball security was pretty poor. So, we just had to go back out there and do the fundamentals really well”.
“You know, kick early, kick often, as they say in the wet. We just went back to the basics and made sure that we respected the footy in these conditions and played a little bit more mature in the conditions that were presented to us.”
(Pictured) Remara Performance Player Of Match: Rhian Yeo
