Junior Reps Results | 26th – 27th April 2025

Roosters junior representative teams win their way into three grand finals.  

S.G. Ball Cup (Men’s Under 19s)

The Sydney Roosters S.G. Ball Cup team are through to the Grand Final following a 28-16 victory over the Canberra Raiders at Lidcombe Oval.

The Raiders led 6-0 early after Raiders left winger Cooper Johnston raced 70 metres after a Roosters error, before halfback Toby Rodwell through a dummy to score near the posts to tie up the scores. The Roosters took the lead 10-6 midway through the first half when Rodwell sent right winger E.J. Mahu-Delamere over in the corner.

The Raiders retook the lead 12-10, inside the final five minutes of the first half with their second converted try, and looked likely to take that lead into the half time break. However, a monumental mistake by the Raiders inside their own half led to an easy untouched run to the line for Roosters left winger Mickey Nassar and with the conversion the Roosters led 16-12 at the break.

14 minutes into the second half an inside pass from Toby Rodwell to left centre Lui Lee down the blindside sent Lee on a 20-metre dash to the line beating a number of defenders and with the Tyson Walker conversion the Roosters led 22-12. This was one of a number of powerful bursts by Lee, the younger brother of former Queensland Origin centre Brenko Lee, who caused plenty of problems for the Raiders right side defence. A brilliant unconverted Raiders try to right winger James Croker, a famous Raiders name, 16 minutes prior to fulltime reduced the Roosters lead to 22-16.

The last 15 minutes was very tense and despite the Roosters having good field position for the first half of that fifteen minutes they surprisingly opted not to attempt extending that lead to seven with a field goal attempt. A Roosters error in possession near the Raiders line saw momentum shift and the Raiders had all the scoring opportunities leading into the final two minutes of the game from then but the Roosters held them out time after time.

Eventually the Roosters had possession in good ball territory and with two minutes on the clock Toby Rodwell weaved through the Raiders defence, after a nice offload from stand-in hooker Liam Bell, to score his second try and with the Walker conversion (his fourth) the Roosters were ahead 28-16 and that was the final play of the game.

Rodwell with two tries and two try assists was the player of the match but Lui Lee, Jackson Stewart and Mickey Nassar had fine games for the Club.

Saturday’s Grand Final will be against Parramatta, who the Roosters defeated in 32-12 in Week One of the finals. It is the Roosters first S.G. Ball Cup grand final since 2022, a side which included current NRL players Siua Wong, Robert Toia, Salesi Foketi and Ethan Strange as well as Roosters NRL squad members Tyler Moriaty, Xavier Va’a and Beniah Ioelu.

Harold Matthews Cup (Men’s Under 17s)

The Central Coast Harold Matthews Cup team have lost their preliminary final 26-20 to the Newcastle Knights at Lidcombe Oval and missed the opportunity to play in next Saturday’s grand final.

The match was in the balance throughout the game and it was only a converted try in the final four minutes of the game to Knights second rower Curtis Mulherin which separated the teams at fulltime.

The Knights led 12-8 at half time but the Roosters took the lead 14-12 early in the second half when right winger Corbin Devaney scored in the corner and Carter Mareko converted. It was Devaney’s second try of the game and his 11th, from 12 games, this season. After losing the lead again to a Knights try in the 14th minute of the second half, the Roosters retook the lead soon after when lock Samuel Michie crashed over.

Leading 20-16 with 11 minutes to go, the Roosters struggled to maintain their intensity, particularly defensively, and to minimise their errors. Consequently, opportunities opened up for the Knights and tries in the 49th and 56th minutes, one of which was converted (games are 60 minutes long) sealed the Roosters fate for 2025.

Both Roosters’ Harold Matthews Cup teams can be proud of their 2025 achievements, with the Sydney Roosters finishing second after the regular season and the Central Coast making the Preliminary Final. We will see many of these players in more senior teams in years to come.

Tarsha Gale Cup (Women’s Under 19s)

The Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy Tarsha Gale Cup team have reached their fourth grand final of the past five seasons in extraordinary circumstances. After finishing the regular season in 7th position, the Roosters have won three sudden death finals, including a Week One golden point win, after scores were level at the end of regular time and the end of extra time, and a Week Two final win when scores were level with under a minute left on the clock.

In their Preliminary Final at The Oaks on Saturday the Roosters were up against minor premiers Illawarra and after the scores were locked up at 4-4 at half time and 14-14 inside the final 20 minutes, the scene was set for a third week of nail-biting finals footy for the Roosters. There was nothing between the teams through the first three quarters of the game with simple errors being severely punished by both sides. The match was set to be decided by the team who could minimise those errors.

However, it was the individual brilliance of right centre Tyra Ekepati and left edge Lacey Cross, the player of the match, that would actually blow the game open, in a two-minute period commencing 13 minutes from full time.

With 13 minutes remaining, 2025 Roosters NRLW squad member Ekepati, received the ball 80 metres from the Illawarra line, against a set defensive line, and charged through the Illawarra defensive line into the backfield before beating the fullback and racing away to give the Roosters an 18-14 lead. It was a scintillating 80 metre run from a player who the Roosters need to get much more ball to you. She is an exceptional athlete with a very bright future in the game.

On the second tackle of the set following the kick off the Roosters shifted the ball left to edge backrower Lacey Cross, who was already having a whale of a game. Taking the ball 72 metres out from the Steelers line, Cross once again broke through the Illawarra right side defensive line and broke away from the chasing defenders. She then beat the fullback and raced away for a breathtaking 72 metre individual try. The conversion gave the Roosters a 24-14 lead, which was to become 30-14 with five minutes remaining when hooker Mahlie Cashin dived over from dummy half.

A grand final berth, that looked impossible three weeks earlier, was now a reality for this never-say-die group of women. Next Saturday’s grand final will be against the 5th placed Parramatta Eels, a team the Roosters have not faced in 2025.

Lisa Fiaola Cup (Women’s Under 17s)

The Sydney Roosters Lisa Fiaola Cup team are through to the Grand Final in the second season of the competition following a 22-16, five tries to three, Preliminary Final victory over the Wests Tigers.

The Roosters dominated the first half after the Wests Tigers opened the scoring, but despite that dominance some poor passing options and goal kicking meant that the Roosters went to the break leading only 12-4. Captain Mia Vaotuua scored soon after half time, her 13th try in 10 games this season, and the Roosters led 16-4, a lead they still had with 13 minutes remaining, and were seemingly headed for a comfortable victory. However, as can often happen there was a significant shift in momentum in the final quarter and the Wests Tigers, with two converted tries in four minutes, had tied the scores at 16-16 with eight minutes remaining and it was the Tigers who were looking like grand finalists as they were easily making ground through the Roosters defence set after set. The Roosters were missing tackle after tackle and appeared to have very little energy left. It seemed it was just a formality that the Tigers would score off each set if they were to hold onto the ball.

At 16-16 with six minutes remaining, the Tigers swung the ball to the left close to the Roosters line and looked set to post their third try in six minutes but as the Tigers’ left winger Charlotte Withers was about to place the ball over the line, Roosters captain Mia Vaotuua, with the assistance of right winger Marley Gristwood, raced over in cover defence and forced Withers to drop the ball over the line. It was to be the moment where the Roosters saved their season and it was no surprise that Vaotuua was the key player involved.

In the following seven tackle set, halfback Talea Tonga, late in the set, ran across field 40 metres out from the Tigers line and found a hard running left centre in Coco Marsters who busted the line and perfectly drew the fullback to send Tonga racing to the line. The conversion from Meg McPhail gave the Roosters a 22-16 lead and the energy to play out the final minutes for the victory.

The Roosters will play the Parramatta Eels in Saturday’s Grand Final. They played each other in Week One of the finals with the Roosters winning 24-14.

Laurie Daley Cup (Men’s Regional Under 18s)

Competition completed for 2025 (Premiers: IIlawarra South Coast Dragons)

Andrew Johns Cup (Men’s Regional Under 16s)

Competition completed for 2025 (Premiers: Newcastle-Maitland Region Knights)

See the latest results below for all the Junior Representative sides: