A week of contrast for the Canberra Raiders junior representatives teams in their games against the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday, with one losing but moving on to the finals, and one winning but suffering elimination.
Harold Matthews
Cronulla 26 (B Xerri 2, J Lualva, K Broadhurst, A Ernst tries; Broadhurst 3 goals) def Canberra 18 (J Church, K Taiseni, I Jang tries; K Jensen 3 goals)
Harold Matthews have gone down to the Cronulla Sharks in the final regular season round. Despite the loss, the Raiders advance to the Harold Matthews finals where they will now face the Penrith Panthers at Campbelltown Stadium this weekend.
The Raiders hung tough with the undefeated Sharks in the opening period, but went into the break trailing 16-10 following some good attacking raids by the opposition. Canberra were unable to hit the lead in the second period, with the loss leaving them in sixth position on the ladder ahead of next week’s elimination final against the seventh-placed Panthers.
Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers
Campbelltown Stadium
Saturday, 16 April, 1pm
SG Ball
Canberra 38 (J Simbiken 2, Q Cannon 2, S Ketia-Opo, S Kris, D Clark tries; Ketia-Opo 5 goals) def Cronulla 10 (J Salmon, I Jurd tries; I Metcalf goal)
SG Ball have capped their season with an impressive 38-10 win over Cronulla in Canberra. It was a case of too little too late for the Raiders, as the win wasn’t enough for them to crack a place in the top eight, finishing the season in ninth position with 10 competition points.
The Raiders held a 16-4 lead at halftime, but turned on the attack in the second period to come away with a resounding win. Both Jedidiah Simiken and Quinlyn Cannon crossed for doubles in the seven tries to two victory over the finals-bound Sharks, with Sato Ketia-Opo chipping in with a try to go with five goals.
