With one round remaining in the 2025 Junior Reps season, a number of the club's sides are still vying for finals positioning.
Four of our squads are still firmly in the postseason picture with a pair of them still in the hunt for a minor premiership.
SG BALL CUP
Illawarra's SG Ball unit, coach by club legend Shaun Timmins, are right in the thick of the Top 8 ahead of their Round 9 clash against the eighth-place Balmain Tigers.
Timmins' men have lost just two of their eight affairs having nabbed five wins and a draw.
THE FINALS PICTURE
| SG Ball Cup | Points | W | D | L | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parramatta Eels | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 118 |
| 2 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 190 |
| 3 | Canberra Raiders | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 76 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 95 |
| 5 | Illawarra Steelers | 11 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 58 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 81 |
| 7 | Melbourne Storm | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 78 |
| 8 | Balmain Tigers | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | -40 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
| 11 | Newcastle Knights | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
A Top 4 finish remains achievable for the Steelers who are currently behind the fourth-place Roosters on only for-and-against.
The Roosters travel to New Zealand to face the 12th-place Warriors whilst the Steelers meet the eighth-place Tigers at Leichhardt.
Both sides also have the ability to jump the Raiders who host the 10th-place Magpies in the nation's capital.
The Dragons meanwhile have fallen out of finals contention with only a draw to their name.
Tight losses early to the Tigers and Roosters put the defending premier Dragons on the back foot before injuries and suspensions began to strike.
TARSHA GALE CUP
A minor premiership is still within reach for Courtney Crawford's Steelers, but it will require a result to go their way.
The Steelers sit a single competition point behind the ladder-leading Bulldogs who face the fifth-place Eels in Round 9.
Illawarra meanwhile journey up to Woy Woy to meet the sixth-place Roosters Indigenous Academy in a bid to extend their five-game winning streak.
THE FINALS PICTURE
| Tarsha Gale Cup | Points | W | D | L | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 145 |
| 2 | Illawarra Steelers | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 82 |
| 3 | Wests Tigers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 58 |
| 4 | Penrith Panthers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 5 | Parramatta Eels | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 100 |
| 6 | Roosters Indigenous Academy | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 96 |
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 82 |
| 8 | Newcastle Knights | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 52 |
| 9 | Canberra Raiders | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -78 |
The Steelers will also be looking to hold off the Wests Tigers and Panthers who sit just one win back of them.
St George's Tarsha Gale unit are out of the finals race with their Round 8 clash against Canterbury cancelled and marked as a draw due to bad weather.
HAROLD MATTHEWS CUP
The Steelers have enjoyed a stellar Harold Matthews campaign having won their first six games before falling to the Roosters last weekend.
They are still firmly within reach of the ladder-leading Warriors who they trail by just four for-and-against points with a week to play.
The Steelers travel to face the 15th-place Tigers whilst the Warriors host the fourth-place Roosters.
THE FINALS PICTURE
| Harold Matthews Cup | Points | W | D | L | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NZ Warriors | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 62 |
| 2 | Illawarra Steelers | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 58 |
| 3 | Central Coast Roosters | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 94 |
| 4 | Sydney Roosters | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 88 |
| 5 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 56 |
| 6 | Newcastle Knights | 12 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 56 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 32 |
| 8 | Parramatta Eels | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 9 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -14 |
| 11 | North Sydney Bears | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | -22 |
Four teams are hot on the Steelers' trail with both Roosters squads, Manly, and Newcastle only two competition points back.
Round 9 primes as a bumper weekend in the Harold Matthews Cup competition with plenty of teams jostling for finals spots.
St George's Harold Matthews squad saw their finals chances officially end on Saturday after falling to Manly 30-6 at Jubilee.
LISA FIAOLA CUP
The Steelers this weekend face the second-place Central Coast Roosters in what could prove a must-win game if they are to make finals.
They currently sit tied on points with Canberra for the eighth and final spot in the finals.
Illawarra are 24 points better off in for-and-against as the Raiders prepare for a clash with the 12th-place Sea Eagles.
THE FINALS PICTURE
| Lisa Fiaola Cup | Points | W | D | L | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 329 |
| 2 | Central Coast Roosters | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 258 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 138 |
| 4 | Wests Tigers | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 90 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 44 |
| 6 | Newcastle Knights | 10 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 44 |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | 10 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 34 |
| 8 | Illawarra Steelers | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 30 |
| 9 | Canberra Raiders | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
Penrith sit just one win ahead of the Steelers and this Saturday take on St George Kogarah.
St George are unable to qualify for the postseason but still have the ability to spoil things for the seventh-place Panthers and potentially give Illawarra a leg-up.
