The Illawarra Steelers Harold Matthews Cup side is just one game away from a Grand Final berth after taking down the previously unbeaten Newcastle Knights 20-16 in their Qualifying Final.
The Knights entered the finals undefeated through the nine-round regular season, but it was the fourth-placed Steelers who forced their way to the penultimate weekend of the competition with a clinical effort at HE Laybutt Field
Illawarra surged ahead in the opening half and held off a Newcastle fightback as they look for a first Harold Matthews Cup title since 1996.
The first try came in just the fourth minute when Hunter Berghuis collected a clever Oliver Burton kick and dove over. Ryland Coelho’s conversion gave the Steelers a quick 6-0 lead.
They pushed that advantage to 14-0 by the halftime break thanks to a double from Destin Tausala. The speedster opened his account with a 70-metre dash down the left side of the field to score in the 13th minute and added another 40 metres to his tally when crossing after 21 minutes.
The Knights’ coach’s message must have landed at the interval as they came out swinging in the second stanza. Oliver Lawrence crashed over for the Knights seven minutes into the half, and less than two minutes later, Riley Rostron was finishing off a long-range try.
Rostron converted both, leaving the Steelers up 14-12 with 20 minutes to go.
Asher Chapman stole the momentum back for Illawarra with a converted try on the right edge. The running five-eighth powered over the line and kicked the goal for breathing space at 20-12.
A grandstand finish was assured when winger Benji Thompson dove into the right corner off a Ty Ennis pass with six minutes left, but the Steelers held firm over the final moments, defending their line in the dying stages to get a pass to Week 3 of the finals.
The Sydney Roosters and Penrith Panthers will fight it out next weekend for a shot against the Steelers in a fortnight.
Harold Matthews Cup Qualifying Final Highlights: Steelers vs. Knights
