The Fortescue Premier Grade regular season wrapped up with a dramatic Round 16, headlined by Nedlands handing ladder leaders Cottesloe their first defeat of the season.
Joondalup Brothers and Palmyra also delivered commanding wins ahead of the Quarter Finals, while Wanneroo held off Associates and Southern Lions finished strongly against Kalamunda.
Joondalup Brothers closed out the regular season in emphatic fashion, running in nine tries during a 57–7 victory over Perth Bayswater.Richardson and Walker both crossed twice, with Foroncelli, Swier, Stone, Rabaro and Tarawa also adding tries. Tarawa completed a strong individual performance with six conversions. Pulu scored Perth Bayswater’s only try, converted by Heuer.
Palmyra will head into the Quarter Finals with momentum following an eight-try, 52–14 win over UWA. Leilua, Bailey, Mahaki, Scott, Siataga, De Wet and Nepia each crossed the line, with Palmyra also awarded a penalty try. Morgan converted four tries, while Robertson added another conversion. Davies and Taylor scored for UWA, with Young converting both tries.
Wanneroo secured a hard-fought 36–26 victory over Associates after an entertaining contest. Asi, Grattan, Mainwaring, Tunui and Davis scored Wanneroo’s five tries. Mainwaring contributed 16 points from the tee through four conversions and a penalty goal. Phillips crossed twice for Associates, with Drummond and Wright also scoring. Drummond converted three of the four tries.
Nedlands produced the result of the regular season, handing Cottesloe their first defeat of the year with a thrilling 29–26 victory. Pschorn, Marshall, Anderson and Louwrens crossed for Nedlands, while Robson’s three conversions and penalty goal proved decisive in the three-point result. Kaho scored twice for Cottesloe, with Ward and Hunt also crossing and Taylor adding three conversions. However, Nedlands held firm to end Cottesloe’s unbeaten run and secure a major confidence boost ahead of the Quarter Finals.
Southern Lions finished their regular season with a convincing 34–12 victory over Kalamunda. Scholtz, Hardwick, Dussargues, Rafaele and a player whose name was withheld scored the Lions’ five tries. Turagava added three conversions and a penalty goal. Kamizona-Heke and TeAute crossed for Kalamunda, with Jordan adding one conversion.
With the regular season now complete, attention turns to the Fortescue Premier Grade Quarter Finals next weekend, where the pressure rises and the race for the Premiership begins in earnest.
Men’s Round 16 Results
Joondalup Brothers (57) d. Perth Bayswater (7)
UWA (14) l. Palmyra (52)
Wanneroo (36) d. Associates (26)
Nedlands (29) d. Cottesloe (26)
Southern Lions (34) d. Kalamunda (12)
