The next generation of Sharks will ramp up preparations for their 2024 junior representative seasons on Saturday with an exciting schedule of trial action against Souths at Redfern Oval.
In the first summer hit-out for most of the youngsters, the Lisa Fiaola (under 17s) and Tarsha Gale (19s) girls will take to the field ahead of the boys in the Harold Matthews Development (16s), Harold Matthews (17s) and SG Ball (19s) teams.
The games will feature extended squads and give the coaches an opportunity to test new combinations while building cohesion before the Christmas break.
With the official junior rep seasons set to start in February - except Jersey Flegg, which largely mirrors the NRL season - the budding Sharks will be keen to show their wares in competition after impressing on the training paddock.
Saturday's fixtures follow on from the Harold Matthews Development (16s) and SG Ball Development (18s) squads tackling their age equivalents in the Illawarra South Coast Dragons' Andrew Johns and Laurie Daley Cup teams last weekend.
In encouraging efforts, the Harold Matthews Development ran out 20-4 winners while the SG Ball Development went down 12-8 at Croome Sporting Complex, Albion Park. The games were played in the evening due to the heat.
Experienced coaches Brad Kelly and Dave Howlett remain in charge of the Harold Matthews and SG Ball sides respectively, with Robbie Taylor (Lisa Fiaola) and Isaac Michael (Tarsha Gale) assuming the clipboard duties in the girls ranks.
Junior trials v Souths - Saturday, 16 December
Venue: Redfern Oval
9:00am – Lisa Fiaola
10:30am – Tarsha Gale
12:00pm - Harold Matthews Development
1:45pm – Harold Matthews
3:30pm – SG Ball
