Junior Reps Round 1 Wrap

The Canberra Raiders met the Illawarra Steelers in Round 1 of the Tarsha Gale Cup, going down 36-22.

The Raiders were on the scoreboard first through Georgia Willey and took a 6-0 lead early, before trailing 14-10 at half-time.

Two tries to Roxy Horne early in the second half put the Raiders back in the lead before the Steelers ran away with the game, scoring three tries in the final 14 minutes to take a 14-point win.

Harold Matthews Cup

The Canberra Raiders Harold Matthews Cup team started their season in impressive style, with a 32-6 win over the Manly Sea Eagles.

The Raiders were in control from the outset, with Noah Martin scoring four minutes in, before Elvis Nauer-Wood crashed over to give his side a 10-0 lead.

Mathias Tomuli-Ah-Kuoi scored his first of three tries soon after, with the Raiders taking a 16-6 lead into the break.

Martin scored his second shortly after half-time, before two more tries to Tomuli-Ah-Kuoi saw the Raiders claim a 26-point win.

Raiders coach Peter Marropodi was pleased with the team’s effort and intensity for the whole game.

“It was a really good win, we weren’t really sure how it was going to go but I was really happy for the boys that the hard work that went in over the off season paid off for them.

“We’ve spoken a lot about it being junior football but this is a transition period where we become adult footballers. To be able to stick at a task and do it for the whole game, right down to the last whistle they didn’t stop defensively and that’s a really proud thing for a coach to see.”

Marropodi was also full of praise for hat-trick hero Tomuli-Ah-Kuoi.

“He’s an interesting story, he came across from Perth just for an opportunity and he wasn’t sure how he was going to go.

“He’d never really played at a high level before and he was by far our best player today so I was so happy for him.

“He’s a great kid too, he’s been working so hard on his game and that’s why it’s so pleasing that it paid off for him.”

SG Ball Cup

The Raiders suffered a narrow 20-18 loss against the Sea Eagles in Round 1 of the SG Ball Cup.

The Raiders were first on the scoreboard when Stanly Longi scored in the 15th minute.

Manly hit back to level the scores at 6-all eight minutes later before Niu Mariota crossed in the 32nd minute, giving the Raiders a 12-6 lead at the break.

The Sea Eagles were first to score in the second half before Calab Edwards scored in the 48th minute to give the Raiders an 18-10 lead.

Two late tries to Manly, including one in the 68th minute, saw the away team clinch the lead and take the two-point win.