It was a better weekend for Wests Tigers junior representative teams in Round 3 as several sides bounced back from defeats last week to end the round on a winning note.
After going down to ladder leaders Illawarra last week, Wests Tigers Tarsha Gale found themselves in the winners circle for the first time this year with a 22-14 win over the Raiders in the nation's capital.
Forced to come from behind and with a few nervy moments in the second half, Jessica Wheelan's late try in the final minutes sealed the win for the visitors and put Wests Tigers back in the top eight ahead of next week's clash with Parramatta.
Balmain's Harold Matthews also got their first win of the year as they got the better of the North Sydney Bears on Sunday, running out 22-16 winners at Macquarie University thanks to a double from captain Tony Sukkar.
The news wasn't as good for Wests in the U/16's competition, however, with the Sharks handing them a second loss for the year as they went down 18-8.
With Balmain on the bye in the SG Ball competition, all eyes were on Western Suburbs as they tried to bounce back from last week's heavy defeat.
Cronulla would pile on three tries inside the opening 10 minutes to lead the match comfortably early on — chalking up a 28-4 advantage early in the second half before the Magpies began to stage a mini-comeback with tries to Salesa Tavui, Charlie Lennon and Jurado Smith cutting the gap to 28-22.
The Sharks would show their class to hold on in the final stages, however, with a late penalty goal seeing the visitors home in a tight 30-22 affair.
In the Andrew Johns Cup, GSR Wests Tigers kept their unbeaten start to the year alive with a thrilling 16-16 draw against Ill SC Dragons before going one better in the Laurie Daley Cup competition — running out 22-20 winners over the Dragons.
Round 4 will see Balmain face South Sydney in both junior grades while Western Suburbs face Illawarra in a three-game program at Campbelltown Sports Stadium which will also include Wests Tigers Tarsha Gale in action against Parramatta.
JUNIOR REPS RESULTS: ROUND 3
Tarsha Gale — Wests Tigers 22 def. Canberra 14 (Details)
SG Ball — Cronulla 30 def. Western Suburbs 22 (Details)
Harold Matthews — Balmain 22 def. North Sydney 16 (Details)
Harold Matthews — Cronulla 18 def. Western Suburbs 8 (Details)
Andrew Johns Cup — Wests Tigers 16 drew Ill SC Dragons 16 (Details)
Laurie Daley Cup — Wests Tigers 22 def. Ill SC Dragons 20 (Details)
