Monaro taggers triumph at Southern Gala Day

By Jeff Hanson 

The Monaro Colts Blues Tag outfit maintained an unbeaten record to claim victory at the NSWRL Southern Opens Representative Gala Day held in Boorowa on Sunday.

Taking on Riverina, Illawarra-South Coast, and Western, Monaro took on the best Blues Tag players in Southern NSW, and they were made to work for their results, with the warmer-than-usual conditions testing players and coaching tactics.

"They're a really skilful group of players, and it was a good result," Monaro coach Darren Grocott said.

"We just needed to make sure we put it out on the park, which we did."

The Colts kicked off their day with a convincing 32-6 victory over arch-rivals Riverina.

The Bulls struck first, with Shayla Watson crossing in the opening minutes, and when Brooke Wiggett converted, Riverina led 6-nil.

From there, Monaro dominated the remainder of the first half, with Woden Valley Rams premiership player Keesha Kapea, who was named player of the day, scoring a double.

Cootamundra's star 16-year-old winger Andie McTavish and Harden speedster Georgia Smith also scored as the Colts led 22-6 at halftime.

In the second half, McTavish crossed for the try of the day, with the youngster regathering the ball inside her in-goal before sprinting more than 100 metres to score inside the right touchline.

Grace Marshall also crossed for a good try, and when it was all said and done, Monaro came out on top with a 26-point victory.

Monaro's second game didn't entirely go to plan, and they trailed Illawarra-South Coast 10-nil at halftime following tries to Siarn Rowcliff and Lily Riolo.

Monaro struggled to make any real headway in a very defensive game, with the Dragons working well in defence.

Back-to-back penalties eventually had the Colts on the attack. Gungahlin star and Canberra Raiders Cup leading try scorer Caitlin Turnbull scored for Monaro, bringing the score to 10-4 with ten minutes left on the clock.

Minutes later, Georgia Smith made another telling break.

With Monaro on the attack, it was some Kapea that had her side back in the game, with the fullback grubbering for herself and grounding the ball to score a classy try inside the left touchline.

Harden stalwart and Monaro playmaker Emma James was left with the difficult conversion attempt five metres in from the left touchline. Still, she slotted the kick, which brought the score level to 10-all with five minutes remaining.

Both sides had their chances to go ahead in the final moments of the match, but the Colts and Dragons settled for a draw.

With a win and draw next to their name, Monaro took on the unbeaten Western Rams side in their third and final match, which was a winner-take-all fixture.

The Colts rose to the occasion, with Turnbull crossing for a first-half double and James converting both tries to take her side ahead 12-nil at the break.

Kapea took Monaro ahead 18-nil after halftime, with the talented fullback scoring her fourth try of the day, but the Rams hit back, with Saxbi Shaw scoring, and with five minutes left, Western trailed Monaro 18-6.

Putting the result beyond doubt, Monaro playmaker and Woden Valley's Alicia Trevethan streaked clear down the left touchline and scored the try of the game, and when Kapea converted, it put the exclamation mark on a dominant 24-6 Colts victory.

In a good sign for Canberra Region Rugby League, Monaro called on a side made up of Canberra Raiders Cup and George Tooke Shield players.

"The George Tooke Shield competition is a really good one, and there is a lot of talent right across that whole region," Grocott said.

"When we bring them together, it's great, and they can play some really good Rugby League, and the best thing is, there is a lot of good talent coming through in Canberra and the regions, so our future is looking very bright."

The Blues Tag Representative Gala Day was a terrific showcase of the best players in Southern NSW, and Grocott believes it is essential to give elite players representative opportunities.

"Days like today give these players another pathway," Grocott said.

"It's important they can take that next step rather than just play in local comps."

It was a massive day in Boorowa, with NSWRL also hosting an under-16s exhibition match between Group 20 and Group 16.

NSWRL will look to grow the event in 2024.