Bulldogs duo Brandon Wakeham and Jayden Okunbor were instrumental in getting their side through to the New South Wales Cup grand final.
The Dogs will take on the Panthers and will be without gun forward Kurtis Morrin, who suffered a knee injury in their win over Newtown.
Meanwhile, Wayne Bennett was on hand to watch a Dolphins duo impress in their Queensland Cup preliminary final win.
Read on for the latest Reserve Grade Wrap.
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ALL EYES WERE ON
Off-contract Bulldogs half Brandon Wakeham had the ball on a string in his side’s two-point in over the Jets. Wakeham set up three tries — two of those with a pinpoint kick — got a linebreak assist and ran for 87 metres.
The 23-year-old got a little shaky as Newtown staged a comeback, but had done enough, particularly, in the first half, to get the Dogs home.
Wakeham’s contract with the Bulldogs expires at the end of the season and he has been linked to a move to the Super League. He’ll likely get an opportunity to show off his skill in the upcoming Rugby League World Cup after being named in the provisional Fiji squad.
On the end of Wakeham’s kicks was towering winger Jayden Okunbor, who had a game to remember. The 25-year-old bagged a double, set up another try, got two tackle busts and notched up 168 running metres.
Elsewhere, Knights-bound playmaker Tyson Gamble set up two tries in Norths Devils’ 20-13 win over Sunshine Coast and his veteran halves partner Tyrone Roberts had some nice touches.
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STANDOUTS
The Dogs’ win wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of second row duo, Jackson Topine and Harrison Edwards.
Topine got an important linebreak in the lead-up to a try and finished the game with 146 running metres, three tackle busts and 26 tackles with zero misses. Meanwhile, Edwards notched up 148 running metres and made 41 tackles with just one miss.
Newtown were admirable in defeat while their powerhouse centre pairing of Kayal Iro and Reubenn Rennie proved hard to handle.
Iro, who was recently crowned NSW Cup Player of the Year, scored a try, got a linebreak, three tackle busts and fell just short of 200 running metres. Rennie, who has spent majority of this season transitioning to the second row, bagged a double, got two linebreaks, a linebreak assist, five tackle busts and ran for 136 metres. He also made 10 tackles with no misses.
Burleigh halfback Guy Hamilton had a hand in just about everything, scoring a try, setting up another, getting a linebreak, a linebreak assist, four tackle busts and 107 running metres. But it wasn’t enough to get his side over the line, going down 28-16 to the Dolphins.
Dolphins NRL coach Wayne Bennett was at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday to see two of his signings carve up in the reserve grade side’s win.
25-year-old fullback Trai Fuller, who has earnt a train-and-trial with the NRL side, set up two tries, got a linebreak, nine tackle busts and ran for 107 metres. He also made seven tackles with zero misses.
Barnstorming centre Valynce Te Whare scored a try, got two linebreaks, eight tackle busts and 228 running metres. The 192cm, 108kg rugby union talent signed a two-year top 30 deal with the Dolphins last December and has spent the season learning his craft in Queensland Cup.
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SPOTTED
Kurtis Morrin’s breakout season has come to an abrupt and sad end. The 22-year-old suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in the Bulldogs’ win and had to be assisted from the field. Morrin was sent for scans on Monday.
