After fourteen exciting rounds, the Southern Corridor competitions have reached their finals series, and Illawarra teams are making their mark in every division.
Many of these sides feature some of the region’s top emerging talent, including several current and former Illawarra Steelers junior representatives. Local sides are competing in all four competitions, each aiming for premiership glory.
U18s Premiership
In the U18s Boys Premiership, Thirroul Butchers and Wests Devils have both secured semi-final berths, setting up an exciting local derby showdown.
Thirroul finished third on the ladder with 31 points (nine wins, four losses), while Wests claimed fourth with 29 points (eight wins, five losses). De La Salle and St Josephs took the top two spots.
Collegians narrowly missed the finals, finishing fifth with 23 points (5-8 record). Dapto ended seventh with 15 points (1 win, 12 losses), just one point ahead of Como Jannali.
The Thirroul vs. Wests Elimination semi-final promises a thrilling contest, as both teams boast some of the region’s top emerging talent, including several Illawarra Steelers junior representatives.
Fletcher Couchman, Tayler Humphries and Max Van Loo will take the field for Thirroul, while Noah Fitzgerald, Hunter Berghuis and Kahuitara Te Ra Chase will line up for the Devils. Kick-off is on Saturday, 15 August at 1:50pm at Thomas Gibson Park.
U18s Gold
Thirroul Butchers dominated the U18s Gold, finishing top of the ladder with 34 points (10 wins, 1 loss). Their only defeat came against Penshurst, who finished second. With a six-team finals format, both teams head straight to Week 2, bypassing this week’s Elimination Finals.
Helensburgh finished seventh, tied with De La Salle on 25 points but missed finals on points differential (+16 to -14). Corrimal came ninth out of twelve teams, earning 23 points with a 5-6-1 record.
U18s Girls
Corrimal topped the U18s Girls competition with 35 points (11 wins, 2 losses), their only defeats coming against the Stingrays (second place) and Collegians (fourth place, 27 points, 7-6 record). Wests narrowly missed the finals, finishing fifth with 23 points (6 wins, 7 losses).
Corrimal takes on the Stingrays in the Major semi-final at Noel Mulligan Oval, Warrawong, while Collegians meet Como Jannali in an Elimination semi-final at Scylla Bay Oval, Como. Both matches kick off at 12:00pm, Saturday 15 August.
Open Women’s
Illawarra’s Open Women’s teams have set the standard, with Corrimal, Collegians, and Helensburgh all qualifying for finals as the top three sides. Corrimal took first place with 37 points (12 wins, 1 loss), their only defeat coming against Helensburgh in Round 11. That victory by the Tigers was their first over the Cougars in three years.
Collegians finished second with 33 points (10 wins, 3 losses), while Helensburgh claimed third (31 points, 9-4 record). Helensburgh’s centre Taylor Charman was the competition’s top try scorer with 18 tries, followed by Collegians’ Sophie Taylor (7 tries).
The three teams are brimming with talent, featuring a host of current and former Illawarra Steelers representative players. For Corrimal, standouts include Jade Etherden, Makayla McFayden, April Gray, and Lily Holmes. Collegians will have twins Sienna and Eli Young in the centres, Ella Greatz at halfback, and Armani Tanioria providing impact from the interchange bench. Helensburgh’s Blessing Donvenekham also donned the scarlet and white this season.
Corrimal faces Collegians in the Major semi-final at 10:00am on Saturday 15 August at Ziems Park, while Helensburgh hosts Taren Point in the Elimination Semi-Final at 1:30pm at Rex Jackson Oval.
Words: Harrison Mellare
Opem Women’s Tackle Image source: Helensburgh and Collegians Facebook.