The 2024 junior reps season kicked off on the weekend with our Canberra Raiders hosting the Newcastle Knights in a triple header at Raiders Belconnen.
UNE Harold Matthews Cup
The Raiders fell in round one of the Harold Matthews Cup, going down 28-20 to the Newcastle Knights after a hard-fought battle at Raiders Belconnen.
Canberra came flying out of the blocks, scoring in the very first minute through left-winger Cooper Johnston to lead 4-nil.
They rounded out the first half with tries to Jack Milne and Hardy Glover to take a commanding 16-4 lead into halftime.
The Knights returned the favour, piling on a quick second half try through captain Diesel Hagan to close the gap to 16-10.
Carrying a ton of momentum, Newcastle crossed for three consecutive tries in as fast as six minutes to put the game away.
The Raiders will now travel to Morry Breen Oval this Sunday, to take on the Central Coast Roosters in round two of the competition.
UNE SG Ball Cup
The Raiders were defeated by Newcastle 56-10 in a tough loss in round one of the SG Ball Cup.
There were plenty of points on offer as both sides traded four pointers in the opening ten minutes, with Xavier Cacciotti crossing over for the Raiders to level the scores 6-all.
It was all one-way traffic from there on as the Knights piled the points on to take a commanding win to kickstart their season.
The Raiders will get another chance to chase their first win this Saturday, when they host the Illawarra Steelers at Raiders Belconnen.
Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup
The Tarsha Gale Cup competition kicked off for the 2024 season, where the Knights closed out a 16-10 victory over the Raiders in a tight contest at Raiders Belconnen.
In a see-sawing affair, the Raiders led Newcastle 6-4 at halftime, courtesy to a Samantha Nealon four-pointer.
Canberra fullback Elise Simpson crossed over for another try right after halftime to extend the lead to 10-4.
Newcastle sparked a comeback through a try-double to backrower Evah McEwen, which led to the Knights edging out a 16-10 win.
The Raiders will now also turn their attention to the Steelers, when they host the Illawarra side in round two of the TG Cup this weekend.
Image by Mrs G Sports Photography
