The Newcastle Knights have secured a 50% success rate in their junior representative semi-finals over the weekend, with two teams qualifying for the NSW Rugby League grand finals scheduled for May 2 at Leichhardt Oval. The boys' sides kicked off the celebrations with a double victory in the SG Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup on Saturday, while the girls' teams were eliminated just one step short of the deciders in both the Lisa Fiaola Cup and Tarsha Gale Cup on Sunday.
SG Ball Cup (Under-19)
In a dominant display at sun-drenched Henson Park on Saturday, the seventh-ranked Knights thrashed Manly 40-6. Winger Melchizedek Nonu scored a hat-trick in the first half, crossing three times within the opening 35 minutes to help Newcastle build a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime. Fullback Toby Winter added a late double to cap off the emphatic 34-point victory. Centre Callum Elsley contributed 12 points through one try and four goals, while interchange forward Ashton Allen and hooker Diesel Hagan also scored tries. The Sydney Roosters won the other semi-final 24-14 against the Rabbitohs.
Harold Matthews Cup (Under-17)
Later on Saturday at Leichhardt Oval, the Knights made it two wins from two matches. Minor premiers Newcastle defeated the Rabbitohs 18-10 in a tightly contested affair. Second-rower Kade McKay scored an early try from a Riley Rostron bomb and added an intercept try on the full-time siren. Hooker Eamon Gleeson's short-range dart gave the Knights a 12-0 lead at halftime, but South Sydney struck twice down the left edge to reduce the margin to two points for most of the second half. The Sydney Roosters defeated Illawarra-South Coast Steelers 36-26 in the other semi-final.
Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under-17)
It was a disappointing outing for the Knights in the Lisa Fiaola Cup, as they fell 31-10 to the Central Coast Roosters at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. Newcastle conceded 15 unanswered points in the second half, having trailed by just six points at the break. Winger Lexi Manning and lock Jarrah Young were the try scorers for the Hunter side, while Alissa McNair and Talia Berryman each scored two tries for the Roosters. Canterbury edged out Parramatta 14-12 in the other semi-final.
Tarsha Gale Cup (Under-19)
The fourth and final semi-final was a thriller, with Newcastle losing 14-12 to Cronulla at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday. Both teams traded blows throughout the match, each having a player sin-binned at different stages, and the scores were locked at 10-all at halftime. Addie Hagan's second penalty attempt to equalise sailed wide in the closing stages, while a last-ditch break down the left edge was called back for a forward pass. Stevie Botham and Summer Dowell scored first-half tries for Newcastle. In the other semi, Parramatta triumphed 28-6 over the Roosters' indigenous academy.
