Academy Wrap Finals Week 1: All Three Grades Progress

Bulldogs Dominate Sharks in Lisa Fiola Cup Finals Opener

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have sent a strong message to their finals rivals with a commanding 58-10 victory over the Cronulla Sharks in the opening week of the Lisa Fiaola Cup finals.

The Bulldogs ran in an impressive eleven tries in a dominant all-round display, with Emacyn-Eden Ieremia leading the way. Ieremia contributed two tries and slotted seven conversions for a personal haul of 22 points.

Despite conceding the opening try in just the second minute, the Bulldogs responded swiftly with Ieremia crossing the line in the fifth minute. Taylah Salapo added another soon after, before Cronulla briefly narrowed the margin with their second try.

From there, the Bulldogs took control, running in three more tries before halftime to head into the break with a 28-10 lead. 

The second half was all one-way traffic, as the Bulldogs kept the Sharks scoreless while adding six more tries to complete the rout.

Alongside Ieremia, Shanthie Lui and Asha Taumoepeau-Williams also grabbed doubles, while Jayda Peo, Tanya Kavapalu and Taylah Salapo each added their names to the scoresheet in the dominant display.

Head Coach Vanessa Foliaki was proud of her side's effort despite being under pressure early. 

"We knew coming into finals footy that it's a whole new ball game," she said.

"The team that wants it more usually comes out on top, and that was clear right from the start when the Sharks scored in the first two minutes.

We didn't panic - we held our composure, trusted our process and stuck to what has worked for us all season.

"In the end, we managed to close the game out. I'm incredibly proud of the girls - they've worked so hard to get us to this point and earn a well-deserved week off."

Tarsha Gale Cup: Bulldogs 12 def Tigers 10

Bulldogs Edge Tigers in Thrilling Tarsha Gale Cup Finals Opener

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have earned a hard-fought victory over the Wests Tigers in the opening week of the Tarsha Gale Cup finals, prevailing 12-10 at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday.

The difference came down to a single successful conversion, with both sides crossing the try line twice in a game defined by strong defensive efforts. 

The Bulldogs seized early momentum, surging to a 10-nil lead thanks to first-half tries from Mary-Jane Taito and Simina Lokotui. 

Lokotui’s highlight-reel try came early in the first half, latching on to long-range clearing kick from halfback Rastalia Smith. The kick took a favourable bounce, allowing Lokotui to regather at full pace, outstrip the defence and score under the posts.

The Wests Tigers responded with renewed energy in the second half, with Elenoa Namua scoring back-to-back tries in a four-minute burst that brought the match to life. 

Despite the Tigers’ resurgence, both of Namua’s efforts went unconverted—ultimately the crucial difference on the scoreboard.

Head Coach Nik Wolfgramm highlighted the adversity the team overcame in a tight contest. 

"In a tough but scrappy encounter, the girls fought hard and showed a lot of resilience to hold off a fast finishing Tigers outfit," he explained. 

With our Captains missing through injury and suspension, the young pups worked hard as a unit to get the job done. I'm really proud of the girls as they kept on showing up for each other until the end.

"We will regroup, enjoy the break but know that there is a lot of work to be done."

SG Ball Cup: Bulldogs 38 def Sharks 30

Bulldogs Rally to Defeat Sharks in SG Ball Cup Thriller

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs mounted a stunning second-half comeback to defeat the Cronulla Sharks 38-30 in a sudden-death SG Ball Cup final at Leichhardt Oval.

Winger Paul Johnson opened the scoring in just the third minute, before second-rower Solomone Tupou capitalised on a failed short dropout to extend the Bulldogs’ early lead.

However, the Sharks responded in dominant fashion, crossing for four unanswered tries to take a commanding 24-8 lead into the halftime break.

Cronulla struck first in the second half, pushing their advantage further before Bulldogs halves Mitchell Woods and Alex Conti sparked a remarkable revival.

Prop Oliva Smith barged over in the 47th minute to begin the fightback, followed shortly after by a well-worked play from Conti and centre Marcellus Iakopo to reduce the deficit.

With five minutes remaining and trailing by four, Woods sliced through the Sharks’ defensive line to score. He converted his own try to give the Bulldogs a narrow lead.

Just three minutes later, Conti added a four-pointer of his own, and Woods’ successful conversion sealed a thrilling come-from-behind victory for the Blue and Whites.

Head Coach Steve Turner spoke about the thrilling victory.

"It was a game of two halves," he explained.

"We started well, but let the Sharks back in the game through our errors and they led 24-8 at half-time.

The second half was much better because we built our game on possession and field position which allowed us to build pressure, score points and come away with an eight-point win.

"A good result, but now we turn our focus to the Canberra Raiders."