ComfortGlaze Lower Grade Report: The run home
A look at our NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg teams' finals prospects and players to watch with four rounds remaining.
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The Warriors’ NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg Cup teams both had the bye last weekend, so we’re running the rule over their finals chances with a month of the regular season left.
NSW CUP
It hasn’t been the easiest NSW Cup title defence for the Warriors after a host of off-season departures and the elevation of several key 2025 contributors to the NRL side.
Of the State Championship-winning side last year, captain Kalani Going, Setu Tu, Moala Graham-Taufa, Ed Kosi, Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale and Freddy Lussick all joined rival clubs; Taine Tuaupiki, Tanah Boyd, Sam Healey and Tanner Stowers-Smith have been permanent members of the NRL side; and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava has been an intermittent first-grader.
On the plus side, recruits Haizyn Mellars, Jye Linnane, Cooper Page-Wilson and Morgan Gannon have been regulars; the likes of Jett Cleary and Makaia Tafua have stepped up as key spine players, while Bishop Neal, Rodney Tuipolotu-Vea and Connor Bowden have shone in the pack; Luke Hanson and Kayliss Fatialofa remain from last year’s regular line-up; and they have frequently had the services of out-of-favour NRL squad members Luke Metcalf, Marata Niukore and Rocco Berry.
Despite line-up instability, David Tangata-Toa’s side has surged back into finals contention with three straight wins prior to last week’s bye — beating Western Suburbs (44-20), St George Illawarra (31-26) and Canterbury-Bankstown (38-16) in impressive style.
The 10-8 Warriors currently sit in a share of fourth place (sixth on for-and-against); NSW Cup runs a five-team finals format.
They have their work cut out in the remaining four rounds, however. After a home showdown with ladder-leading Penrith on Friday (played before the NRL match, likely robbing them of a couple of six-man NRL bench selections), next Saturday’s road trip to take on a Manly side that has won just one game shapes as a free hit.
The Warriors then close out the regular season with crunch fixtures against Souths at Redfern Oval and Newcastle at Go Media Stadium. The Rabbitohs and Knights both currently lie ahead of the Warriors on the ladder.
JERSEY FLEGG CUP
The Warriors under-21s’ finals hopes are looking a little more tenuous.
Back-to-back losses to the Dragons (34-22) and, in their most disappointing effort of the season, the Bulldogs (56-10) — who they beat only a month earlier — have seen the Warriors slip to eighth on the Jersey Flegg Cup table with an 8-9 record.
Their remaining draw mirrors the NSW Cup team’s, with Saturday’s match against the third-placed Panthers at Trusts Stadium followed by clashes with the 13th-placed Sea Eagles and fifth-placed Rabbitohs away, and the 11th-placed Knights at home.
Three points adrift of the top five, the TJ Ashford-coached side would likely need to win all four remaining games and have one or two other results fall their way.
From a future-facing point of view, there’s plenty of interest in the Warriors’ individual performers.
Fullback Joseph Ratcliffe is having a stellar season and looks a genuine NRL player-in-waiting, while wingers Brandon Norris and Harry Tauafiafi-Iutoi are among the competition’s top tryscorers with 38 between them. Halfback and captain Jack Thompson is coming along in leaps and bounds and rugby union convert Harry Inch has made a seamless transition in the five-eighth role.
Amasio Tiatia, like Tafua a Linwood Keas (Canterbury Rugby League) junior, has been a great find at hooker, while Neal, Bowden and Caelys-Paul Putoko have all moved back into the age-group ranks after seeing plenty of NSW Cup action earlier this season.