The St George Illawarra Dragons Junior Representative squads continued their respective campaigns on Saturday.
The Illawarra Steelers Harold Matthews Cup (U16) and SG Ball (U18) teams suffered mixed results against the Penrith Panthers at St Marys Stadium.
The Steelers Harold Matthews Cup side were defeated 30-0 by their western-Sydney opposition who were ultimately both stronger and more talented.
“The score line does not do justice to the effort of our boys or the quality of football played,” said Steelers Team Manager Paul Hatchell
“We have plenty to work on for next week, but we can hold our heads up high – the boys never stopped trying and at no time did we throw in the towel.”
However, Steelers SG Ball team continued their unbeaten streak with a convincing 30-18 win over their counterparts, the first in six years,
The victory also cemented their position at the top of the NSWRL competition table with four wins from four outings.
A hat-trick of tries to winger Jason Gillard and lone four pointers to winger Dylan Morris, centre Zac Lomax and hooker Cooper Purcell saw the Steelers run in six tries to the Panthers three.
“It was a great effort from all of the boys and we showed a lot of courage against a bigger team, controlled the footy well, and worked hard for the win,” said fullback Steven Marsters.
“Our boys played outstanding footy and we are so proud of them,” said Coach Shane Millard.
“They really rose to the challenge and they definitely deserved their incredible result.”
The St George Dragons Harold Matthews Cup (U16) team were 62-4 victors over the SWSAS at Kirkham Park, Camden.
It was a high-scoring affair for the Dragons but a fair-result after a hard week on the training field under the watchful eye of Coach Graeme Wynn.
The St George Dragons SG Ball (U18) notched a narrow 21-20 win over the West Coast Pirates at Charles Riley Reserve, Perth.
The Dragons recorded the victory courtesy of a late field goal to Jack White.
