It was a tough week for the Sydney Roosters affiliate clubs with Glebe's Ron Massey Cup side coming away with the sole victory of the weekend, while the Ipswich Jets and Kaiviti Silktails putting in brave efforts in their matches.
Sydney Shield and Ron Massey Cup | Glebe Continue Strong Start in Cup
Glebe Dirty Reds 30 def Ryde-Eastwood Hawks 22
Glebe’s Ron Massey side made it two wins from two outings on Sunday, defeating Ryde-Eastwood 30-22 at Wentworth Park.
A man-of-the-match performance from fullback Harry McKeon helped secure the win for the Dirty Reds, with forwards Falefa Letoi and Apisalome Saukuru laying the platform up the middle.
Despite looking comfortable, it was a patchy performance for Glebe - who led 16-0 and 30-10 before ultimately prevailing 30-22.
Apart from McKeon’s outstanding display at the back, Dillon Adrole’s mesmerising first-half individual try and Kane Evans' 50-metre break midway through the second half were the high points.
Glebe Dirty Reds 13 def by Ryde-Eastwood Hawks 34
Meanwhile, the Shield boys looked in control early, thanks to strong showings from middles Charles Vaka and Casey Morgan.
But a 13-12 half-time lead was quickly whittled away following a game-ending injury to halfback and captain Connor Garetty, coupled with a second-half completion rate of just 30%, which saw Ryde running out as eventual winners, 34-13.
The Glebe Dirty Reds will host the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the Ron Massey Cup, with the Sydney Shield side facing the Moorebank Rams with both matches at Wentworth Park prior to the Roosters' NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg taking the field.
Jersey Flegg Cup | Tough Outing for Silktails Following Adverse Week
Kaiviti Silktails 12 def by St George Illawarra Dragons 50
It was a tough outing for a young and enthusiastic Silktails outfit, who were downed 50-12 against the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Oval in Sydney in their Round 3 clash.
The Silktails fought on despite facing plenty of adversity throughout the week; young centre Mitchell Poulter took the field after unexpectedly losing his father last Wednesday (20 March), opting to make the trip to Sydney to play in his honour.
The unrelenting wet weather in Fiji also saw players and staff relocating to Nadi a day before they were due to travel due to flooding, which would have blocked them off from getting to the airport from their base in Lautoka.
The boys are motivated, have regrouped, reloaded and are ready to take on the Melbourne Storm next weekend.
Damon Spooner Kaiviti Silktails General Manager
Meanwhile, the team’s welfare officer, Pastor Kemueli Salu, and his family had to be evacuated from their home due to the heavy rain.
In a highlight of the match, lock Senivalati Vunibola finished with a double, however, it was a learning curve for the Silktails, according to General Manager Damon Spooner.
"NRL Multicultural Round for the Kaiviti Silktails means having a strong connection to culture - this gives you identity, and your identity is your culture," he said.
"The honour of playing on Netstrata Jubilee Oval this week was an amazing opportunity for many boys from local villages and islands across Fiji, this being a lot to take in.
"We came up against a very strong well-prepared Dragons side, and regardless of the final result, the boys gave it their all and left it all on the field we as a club are very proud of our boys.
"Our boys continue to adapt with the speed and pace of the Jersey Flegg competition, and while they are obviously hurt from today, the boys are motivated, have regrouped, reloaded and are ready to take on the Melbourne Storm next weekend."
The Kaiviti Silktails will travel to Victoria in Round 4 to take on the Storm at Seabrook Reserve, Broadmeadows.
QLD Cup | Jets Bested by Premiers
Ipswich Jets nil def by Brisbane Tigers 24
It was a tough loss coming off their first victory since 2022 for the Ipswich Jets in Round 3 of the QLD Cup, downed 24-nil by the defending premiers, the Brisbane Tigers.
Up for the battle against the 2024 QLD Cup champions, the Jets fought tooth and nail throughout the first stanza, trailing by a solitary unconverted four-pointer at the break.
Unfortunately, it was the second half that saw the Tigers click into gear and post a further four tries to post a 24-nil victory.
Head of Football Ben Cross spoke candidly about the performance, highlighting the Jets' experience as a major talking point.
"Mainly due to a few of our own mistakes, we should have seen a nil-all deadlock at half-time, but they got a sneaky try when we weren't concentrating and it probably wasn't a true reflection of the first half," Cross said.
Three of their tries were on our mistakes, but the boys got a good lesson from it.
Ben Cross Ipswich Jets Head of Football
"Three of their tries were on our mistakes, but the boys got a good lesson from it.
"Our whole forward pack - barring two - had single-digit Cup games of experience, while the Tigers' experience far exceeded ours with former NRL players Chris McQueen and Leivaha Pulu, while Bennett Leslie celebrated his 100th game.
"The Tigers stuck to their gameplan well, especially in defence - after what we did the week before - and it was a really good lesson in how to manage a game and put your nose on the grindstone.
"They're the premiers for a reason and we put a bit of internal pressure on ourselves. We've got the Redcliffe Dolphins next week, they're always a strong outfit and have NRL players to call upon so they'll come up with a strong game plan."
The Ipswich Jets will host the Dolphins at North Ipswich Reserve in Round 4 of the QLD Cup on Sunday afternoon.
