It was a tough weekend for our three Junior Representative sides as they went down to the Penrith Panthers at Raiders Belconnen.
Tarsha Gale Cup
Penrith Panthers 44 d Canberra Raiders 32 (Tries: M Dodds, E Hoffman, J Olsen-Flanagan, C Whitehouse, T Millard, E Johnson; Goals: L Kelly 2, T Millard 2)
The Canberra Raiders Under 18 Girls side showed great improvement from Round 1 but suffered a 12 point loss to the Panthers on Saturday.
Having struggled in attack the previous weekend, the Raiders found the try line on six different occasions.
“In attack the girls believed in themselves a lot more,” said Head Coach Matt Corkery. “Up until three-quarter time, we were level pegging with the Panthers.
“This week will focus predominately on our defence against the Sharks.”
Harold Matthews Cup
Penrith Panthers 38 d Canberra Raiders 12 (Tries: A Connell, A Williams; Goals: J Tupou 2)
The Canberra Raiders Under 16 side succumbed to defeat at the hands of the Penrith Panthers.
After taking the lead in the eighth minute thanks to Aidan Connell, the Raiders let in four tries in ten minutes as the Panthers took control of the match.
“The boys are competing really well at the start, they’re just not getting through the whole half,” said Head Coach Billy Thomson. “There’s a fifteen-minute period where they’ll switch off and that’s where we are paying the price at the moment.
“We know we can compete with the good sides in this competition but we need to do that for the full halves.”
S.G. Ball Cup
Penrith Panthers 40 d Canberra Raiders 14 (Tries: B Nanesa, J Little; Goals: R McClennan 3)
The Canberra Raiders Under 18 team were beaten as they attempted to secure their second win of the season.
Having taken the lead early through a Regan McClennan penalty, the Panthers hit back with two quick tries.
Ben Nanesa managed to claim his second try of the season on the verge of halftime to send the Raiders into the sheds only four points adrift.
However, the Panthers asserted their dominance after the break scoring five unanswered tries before Jordan Little scored a consolation try.
The Raiders representative sides are in action again this Saturday at Raiders Belconnen. All three sides will take on the Cronulla Sharks with the first kick-off at 11:30 am.
