The Central Coast’s junior representative rugby league players have kicked off their seasons in fine form as the NSW Rugby League-run competitions for the Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cups commenced on Saturday, February 18.
The Central Coast Under-16s team travelled to Hillier Oval in Liverpool to play their opening premiership match of the year and ran in seven tries to defeat the Western Suburbs Magpies 36 to 22.
This season has seen the local representative sides sport a new look, as the ongoing investment made into the region’s rugby league development by the Sydney Roosters has included the dropping of the Coast’s traditional colours of sky blue and yellow in favour of red, white and Bondi blue.
The Centurions moniker of recent times has also been replaced and the teams are now running into battle under the Central Coast Roosters banner.
In other Matthews Cup results over the weekend, the Newcastle Knights, who are captained by Wyong’s Jaron Purcell and feature a handful of Central Coast juniors, defeated the Raiders 42 to 24 in Canberra, having led by just two at the break.
The Manly Sea Eagles, with powerful Ourimbah three-quarter Keegan Turner, a star turn out wide, also began on a winning note, running in ten tries to rout South Sydney 54 to 8.
On the same day that the Matthews Cup kicked off, the Central Coast’s junior country championship teams, along with the SG Ball Cup squad welcomed the Southern Redbacks and Southern Stingrays from the NSW South Coast to Morry Field Oval for a series of trial games.
Coached by former international Mark O’Meley, the SG Ball Cup team had received a first-up bye in their competition and used the trial to fine tune their play with a view to their campaign beginning in earnest on Saturday, February 25 against the grizzly Bears from North Sydney.
Media release,
Feb 20, 2017
Andrew Stark, Gosford Kariong Storm RLFC