Cronulla are one win away from the Tarsha Gale grand final after upsetting the Indigenous Academy Roosters, but the Lisa Fiaola Sharks have been eliminated by the Storm in heartbreaking fashion.
The Andrew Fifita-coached Under 19 Tarsha Gale outfit stunned the minor premiership-winning Roosters 20-18, sealing a preliminary final berth and earning a week off. Isaac Michael's Lisa Fiaola troops were edged out by a field goal in a 27-26 thriller at Leichhardt Oval, unfortunately ending their season.
See a snapshot of the results from Saturday's games at Leichhardt Oval.
Lisa Fiaola Cup
Sharks 26 (Rhianna Karika two, Tahli Weigand two, Ruby Seitula tries; Tahli Weigand three goals) def by Storm 27
Having lost to Melbourne 48-0 only a month ago, Cronulla looked intent on exacting revenge as they built a 20-12 lead by half-time. But the Storm weren't done, levelling the scores at 26-all in the 54th minute before fullback Ocean Kaiwai-Rangikauhata kicked the winning field goal to shatter Shark hearts. Still, it was a gutsy performance. Point-scoring wizard Tahli Weigand bagged yet another double and booted three goals, earmarking herself as a player to watch.
Tarsha Gale Cup
Sharks 20 (Ayva Papalii, Koffi Brookfield, Tegan Boyce, Manawanui James; Ella Ropata two goals) def Indigenous Academy Roosters 18
In a battle befitting their ladder positions it was the Sharks who stood tallest, seeing off the minor premiers in a see-sawing contest to advance to a preliminary final. Cronulla came out firing, striking twice within 13 minutes to lead 10-0. But the Roosters fought fire with fire, scoring two tries in quick succession to snatch the ascendency. The back-and-forth nature of the match continued, with Cronulla's Manawanui James powering over to square the scores in the 52nd minute. Ella Ropata calmly converted to give the Sharks a match-winning two-point advantage.
