The Illawarra Steelers recorded one win out of four games on the road, with the Harold Matthews Cup U17s boys the only squad to achieve victory in Round 3. In an entertaining match in Canberra, both teams scored five tries, but the outcome was decided by Tayler Humphries, with three conversions to the hosts two.
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In Hammondville, the U17 girls’ team was defeated 42-4 by last year’s Lisa Fiaola Cup champions, the Bulldogs. Holly Czornobej was the only try scorer for the Steelers, with the Bulldogs scoring eight.
[Watch] Lisa Fiaola Cup Rd 3 Highlights – Steelers v Bulldogs
The U19s came very close to winning after trailing 18-0 at halftime. They fought back in the second half, scoring four tries to the Bulldogs’ one, but ultimately lost the match 22-20. Tori Shipton, Rhian Yeo, Trinity Tauaneai and Siulolo Richter picked up the four-pointers in the Steelers second half charge.
[Watch] Tarsha Gale Cup Rd 3 Highlights – Steelers v Bulldogs
In Canberra, the Steelers started strong against the Raiders, prop Mason Andrews (pictured) crossing the stripe in the 3rd minute.
The Steelers led 16-14 at halftime, thanks to further tries from Jason Ballinger and Logan Fenwick. The Raiders took a 20-16 lead at the 40 minute mark, but Ballinger’s second try soon levelled the score.
A converted try by Oliver Burton gave the Steelers a six-point lead with 10 minutes remaining. However, the Raiders fought back, scoring in the 58th minute to narrow the lead to 26-24 with just two minutes remaining. With the Raiders on the offensive, the Steelers defence held on to secure the win.
[Watch] Harold Matthews Cup Rd 3 Highlights – Steelers v Raiders
In the U19s, the Steelers lost 34-20 to the Raiders, despite a strong hand from centre Charlie Heidke with two tries.
The Steelers trailed 12-0 early on and 18-10 at halftime, with tries by Heidke and Saifiti Saifiti.
In the second half, the Raiders scored first, extending their lead to 22-10. However, the Steelers responded with tries from Kade Reed and Heidke’s second, narrowing the score to 22-20 with 20 minutes remaining.
Despite the second half comeback, the Raiders regained control and secured their win with two additional tries.
[Watch] SG Ball Cup Rd 3 Highlights – Steelers v Raiders