The Illawarra Steelers host the Parramatta Eels in all four grades at WIN Stadium on Saturday in Round 4 of the NSWRL Junior Representative Competition. We caught up with all four Steelers team captains ahead of their big ‘Day of Steel’.
Brad Reh’s U17’s have made an impressive start in the Lisa Fiaola Cup with three wins from their first three outings, including last week’s 42-8 victory over the North Sydney Bears after two wins by a two-point margin.
The co-competition leaders take on the eighth placed Eels, who are coming off a bye after one win and one loss in their earlier games. According to skipper Tahlia O’Brien the Steelers are quietly confident they have the Eels measure.
“We all gelled really well in our big win last week, so we are keen for the Eels this weekend. No one in our team have played at WIN Stadium, so we are all excited.” Tahlia O’Brien, Lisa Fiaola Cup Captain
After an undefeated run in their first three games, the Tarsha Gale U19 girls are also at the pointy end of the competition ladder with the Roosters, Bulldogs & Sea Eagles, however sit fourth on points differential.
Their opponents are still searching for their first win of the season after going down to the Bulldogs and Sharks in the early rounds and coming off a bye last week.
“We are looking forward to getting out onto WIN Stadium and representing our club. Having all the other teams around us will be a good atmosphere too. Parra will be a tough; they will be a good test for us on Saturday.” Kasey Reh, Tarsha Gale Cup Captain
After a slow start to the season, the Harold Matts boys found their groove last week with a 20-0 win over the Central Coast Roosters. Coach Jamie Szczerbanik has the luxury of naming the same starting line-up for the second week in a row.
Captain Lexin O’Dea says his team will need to be on their game again, coming up against an undefeated Eels side holding down the second spot on the ladder.
“The Eels are going to be big and fast, but we are just going to concentrate on ourselves this week, and hopefully, we can get the win. The atmosphere will be outstanding. I am keen to run out onto WIN Stadium.” Lexin O’Dea, Harold Matthews Cup Captain
Riding high with three consecutive wins, SG Ball captain Daniel Meafou knows his outfit will be tested this weekend against the Eels, who boast a similar 3-0 record.
The Steelers have knocked up 102 points compared to their opponent’s 98, with a slightly better defensive record of 42 compared to the Eels’ 50.
“After 10 weeks of preseason, all the boys are getting amongst it now; we’ve all got to know each other and how we play. It’s a great opportunity for us to play at WIN Stadium. We only play there once a year, so we want to take advantage of it.” Daniel Meafou, SG Ball Captain
The ‘Day of Steel’ gets underway at 10.30am with the undefeated Lisa Fiaola Steelers (3rd) taking on the Eels (8th) before Tarsha Gale Cup at noon and Harold Matts at 1.30pm.
A mouth-watering clash between the undefeated SG Ball Steelers (2) and Eels (3) closes out the day at 3pm.
Day of Steel, WIN Stadium, Saturday 24th February
Round 4 fixtures
- 10.30am – Steelers Lisa Fiaola U17 Girls v Eels
- Noon – Steelers Tarsha Gale U19 Girls v Eels
- 1.30pm – Steelers Harold Matts U17 Boys v Eels
- 3.00pm – Steelers SG Ball U19 Boys v Eels