NSWRL & QRL Junior Rep Grand Final results

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The results and scorers from the weekend's deciders in the QRL Mal Meninga Cup, and NSWRL Tarsha Gale, SG Ball & Harold Matthews Cups.

All listed times are AEST (NSW/QLD/VIC/ACT).

RELATED: See the full list of 2022 QRL U18 Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup Draw and Results.

2022 QRL U18 Mal Meninga Cup Grand Final

Townsville Blackhawks 26 Souths Logan Magpies 38
Venue: Sunshine Coast Stadium, Bokarina
Date: Sunday 1 May 2022 at 12:25pm

Townsville Blackhawks (26)
Tries: Jamal Shibasaki 2, Tekelu Mene, Tremaine Body, Max Hayley
Goals: Zack Lamont 3

Souths Logan Magpies (38)
Tries: Chris Faagutu, Jye Gray 2, Stanley Huen, Lokea Motufoua, Tre Fotu, Blake Mozer
Goals: Tim Sielaff-Burns 5

PREMIERS: SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES

RELATED: Click here to view the final QRL U18 Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup ladder.

RELATED: See the full list of 2022 NSWRL U19 Tarsha Gale Cup Draw and Results.

2022 NSWRL U19 Tarsha Gale Cup Women's Grand Final

Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy 12 Newcastle Knights 10
Venue: Commbank Stadium, Parramatta
Date: Saturday 30 April 2022 at 11:00am

Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy (12)
Tries: Zoe Cass, Otesa Pule
Goals: Ally Bullman 2

Newcastle Knights (10)
Tries: Sophie Clancy, Kasey Gaukroger
Goals: Sophie Clancy 1

PREMIERS: SYDNEY ROOSTERS INDIGENOUS ACADEMY

RELATED: Click here to view the final NSWRL U19 Tarsha Gale Cup ladder.

RELATED: See the full list of 2022 NSWRL U17 Harold Matthews Cup Draw and Results.

2022 NSWRL U17 Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final

Western Suburbs Magpies 42 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16
Venue: Commbank Stadium, Parramatta
Date: Saturday 30 April 2022 at 12:45am

Western Suburbs Magpies (42)
Tries: Tajh Colquhon 3, Nathaniel Gallagher 2, Kit Laulilii, Lachlan Galvin
Goals: Tajh Colquhon 7

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (10)
Tries: Kurt Montgomery, Ashton Simmonds
Goals: Chevy Stewart 1

PREMIERS: WESTERN SUBURBS MAGPIES

RELATED: Click here to view the final NSWRL U17 Harold Matthews Cup ladder.

RELATED: See the full list of 2022 NSWRL U19 SG Ball Cup Draw and Results.

2022 NSWRL U19 SG Ball Cup Grand Final

Penrith Panthers 22 Sydney Roosters 20
Venue: Commbank Stadium, Parramatta
Date: Saturday 30 April 2022 at 11:00am

Sydney Roosters (20)
Tries: Xavier Chatfield-Mooka, Benjamin Dufficy, Cassius Tia, Benaiah Ioelu
Goals: Benjamin Dufficy 2

Penrith Panthers (22)
Tries: Jesse McLean 2, Mason Teague, Angelis Hotere-Papalii, 
Goals: Keagan Russell-Smith 3

PREMIERS: PENRITH PANTHERS

Grand Final report - AJ Lucantonio

Penrith completed a true sporting miracle, coming back from a 20-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Sydney Roosters in an epic SG Ball Cup Grand Final and claim their 8th premiership in this competition (their third in 6 seasons). 

The Roosters dominated early proceedings, making Penrith pay for poor discipline and errors. They put three tries on in the opening 15 minutes through scintillating attacking play and support play. The first came in the fifth minute when Cassius Tia provided a lovely ball to Xavier Chatfield-Mooka who got pass some sloppy Penrith defence to cross for the opening try. Off the next set, the tri-colours shifted the ball on their left hand edge and Ben Dufficy showcased lovely support play to extend the tri-colours advantage out to 10 points. Minutes later, Cassius Tia stepped his way past some would be tacklers to cross and get the Roosters an early 14 point advantage. Penrith spent much of the opening half stuck inside their own end struggling to complete their sets. 

Penrith started to ease into the contest, but errors in attacking territory rued their opportunities. Dolphin bound halfback Isaiya Katoa was dangerous for the Panthers in attack, but the polish the Roosters were showing up the other end was missing from Penrith's attack. 10 minutes later, Josh Wong broke through the tackle to link up with Tia before being tackled just short of the line. Off the ensuing tackle, Benaiah Ioelu burrowed over out of dummy half to cross for the tri-colours and give them a commanding 20 point lead. The Roosters margin could've been greater, but referee Ethan Klein spotted a forward pass to deny Chatfield-Mooka a first half double. 

Penrith's attack was looking promising with Ryley Smith engaging the markers and gashing the Roosters defence. Off the ensuing tackle, Aston Warwick broke the line linking up with Katoa before losing the ball over the line in desperate defence by the minor premiers. Jesse McLean broke the line right on halftime, but unfortunately for Penrith, Michael Abdow was there on the spot to save the day for the Roosters to give the tri colours an impressive 20 point half-time advantage.

After the break, Penrith looked more promising in attack, but the final passes went astray and let the Roosters off the hook through poor execution when it mattered most. Katoa's short kicking game is something that will be of keen viewing for Dolphins supporters next season should he be the man that dons the number 7 in their inaugural season. Josh Wong and Xavier Va'a are impressive young prospects coming through for the tri-colours and Roosters fans should be tracking their progress in coming seasons. As far as Penrith are concerned, Ryley Smith and Mason Teague were the pick of the bunch for Penrith showing impressive leadership and trying their guts out to get Penrith back into the contest. Both should see game time for Penrith's Jersey Flegg line-up this season with Smith playing the opening two games of the season in Flegg. 

Penrith opened the scoring in the second 40 with Jesse McLean crossing for the Panthers off the back of a lovely set play from the halves pairing of Russell-Smith and Katoa which saw McLean barge over the top of Ben Dufficy to cross for their opening points reducing the score-line to 16 points. 12 minutes later, Mason Teague crashed over against some fatigued Roosters defence and with Russell-Smith's conversion the margin was reduced to just 10 points. Teague has a promising future in the game, has good hole running and was dangerous every time he got involved in Penrith's attack.

Off the ensuing set, Angelis Hotere-Papalii crashed over off good ball skills from Katoa and Hasslett to put the game within a converted try, and with Russell-Smith's conversion they cut the margin to just four points. Penrith were coming home with a wet sail and the Roosters were struggling to get out of their own end through ill-discipline and ill timely mistakes. Eventually, the pressure became too much, and Jesse McLean crashed over for his second try. Russell-Smith's conversion from the touchline was successful showcasing ice in his veins and Penrith took a two point lead. Last play for the tri-colours failed to gather anything, and the Penrith Panthers defeated the Sydney Roosters by 22-20 in a memorable SG Ball Grand Final. 

Penrith 5/8 and goal kicker Keegan Russell-Smith told League Unlimited about the hunger that the side possesses to come back from the 20-0 deficit "we worked too hard all year not to win, we're such a tight group and we couldn't let each-other down on the goals we set back in pre-season". Penrith hooker Ryley Smith spoke exclusively to League Unlimited after the game "we had a lot to live up to after a horrible first half, we knew if we could complete our sets we could get the job done". Smith praised the patience from the halves to get the plays right in the clutch, further going onto say the period before half-time was the turning point where they stopped the Roosters raid and got through sets and asked questions. 

The future at the foot of the mountains is well and truly promising, the challenge now is holding onto this premium talent. They've already lost Isaiya Katoa to the start-up Dolphins, many NRL clubs will now be circling this premium talent pool for their rosters to compete in the coming seasons.

Earlier in the day, Western Suburbs accounted for Cronulla comfortably in U17 Harold Matthews Cup, while the Roosters did snare a title with the Indigenous Women's team downing Newcastle in a low-scoring contest to claim the U19 Tarsha Gale Cup.

RELATED: Click here to view the final NSWRL U19 SG Ball Cup ladder.