Western Australia U17 through to Junior Gold Cup Final
The Western Australia Under 17’s have qualified for the final of the national Junior Gold Cup following a strong 23-8 win over Brisbane Purple in the Northern Conference final at McGillivray Oval this afternoon.
The WA side will take on Victoria in the decider in Brisbane next weekend (Saturday, 5 April), after the Victorians overcame the North West Sydney Cobras, 29-13, in the Southern Conference decider.
In today’s conference final, the home side showed superior ball control in wet and greasy conditions throughout the match and shot to a 3-0 lead after just four minutes, when flyhalf Nick Jooste converted a penalty attempt following good ball retention in the opening exchanges.
While Brisbane Purple returned fire with a penalty of their own to level the scores, a Jooste chip kick allowed fullback Trey Moloney to regather and score the opening try of the match for a 8-3 lead.
While the Western Australians spent the bulk of the first stanza inside the attacking half, ill-disciplined penalties and poor execution allowed Brisbane Purple to relieve pressure and thwarted several scoring opportunities for the home side.
However, with half-time looming, inside centre Leighton Short found space when he fended off his opposite number to score. While Jooste was unable to convert, he steered home a second penalty goal on half-time to afford his side a 16-3 lead at the break.
The Queenslanders returned with added vigour in the second term, yet despite their best efforts to penetrate the line, they were repelled on each occasion by a resolute Western Australia defensive unit.
The match was put beyond doubt when front-rower Lorenzo Mario added his side’s third try. The loosehead prop started the movement from turnover ball inside his own quarter with a bustling run up the middle of the field. Several phases later, Mario was on the spot to take a quick tap inside the visitors’ quarter to drive over the try line, with Jooste adding the extras for a 23-3 lead.
Brisbane Purple was rewarded for their constant attack throughout the final 15 minutes of the match with a try on full-time to bring the final score to 23-8.
Junior Gold Cup (Under 17) – Northern Conference Final
Western Australia 23 (Trey Moloney, Leighton Short, Lorenzo Mario tries; Nick Jooste conversion, 2 penalties) defeated Brisbane Purple 8 at McGillivray Oval.
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