Pathways Preview - Week 2

The Magpies U/19’s side takes on the Bulldogs at Hammondville Oval on Saturday after an opening-round defeat to Balmain.

Ali Karnib is out with a minor injury, with Riley Oitmann moving to fullback in his place.

Callum McMenemy is elevated from the interchange bench and will start at centre.

New recruit, Junior Fagalele, is set to make his club debut at five-eighth.

UNE SG Ball Cup (Under 19s) - Balmain Tigers

Balmain’s U/19’s team were impressive in last week’s win over the Magpies, with highly regarded spine players, Marc Tannous, Logan Brookes and Jared Haywood all showcasing their quality.

In Round 2, they take on a Dragons team who were defeated by the Rabbitohs last weekend.

“ Just really happy with their effort [last week].  I thought they showed that they showed they had a lot of resilience about themselves, says Balmain coach, Shane Sultana.

“ They showed that they were relentless in certain parts of the game where they just stuck to the process.  That all came off the back of a really strong preseason for those guys that just showed you how hard they worked.

“Coming into this week, we just want to keep building on the processes that we've been building. We want to keep building on last week's effort and just try and keep moving forward in that development process.”

Westpac Tarsha Gale Cup (Under 19s) - Wests Tigers 

The Wests Tigers Tarsha Gale Cup side showed grit and determination to hold on for a win against the Roosters Indigenous Academy last weekend.

This week, they face a Canberra Raiders team who were defeated heavily by the Eels in Round 1.

“Our girls showed a lot of grit and determination last week in our match against the Roosters. The girls defended for the full 60 minutes, showing a lot of resilience and unity when it mattered most,” says Tarsha Gale Cup coach, Taiana Scanlan.

“We’re looking forward to this weekend where we will come up against a crafty Canberra side that plays a lot of ad-lib football. Our girls are preparing and building for the challenge ahead and will continue to trust in the team and our systems to get the job done.”

SLE Laurie Daley Cup (Under 18s) - Macarthur Wests Tigers 

The Macarthur Wests Tigers Laurie Daley Cup outfit plays their first game of the season this weekend, as they take on the Riverina Bulls at Kirkham Oval, Camden.

Glassie Glassie has been named to line up at centre after featuring in the Magpies SG Ball Cup team in Round 1.

Brooklyn Milford will captain the side from hooker, while Teancam Epati, Tomasi Tavui and Lorima Cosgrave make up an impressive back row.

UNE Harold Matthews Cup (Under 17s) - Western Suburbs Magpies 

The Wests Magpies Harold Matthews Cup team were dominant in last week’s win over Balmain and will be looking to continue their good start to the season against the Bulldogs this weekend.

Canterbury scraped home for a 22-18 win over Canberra in Round 1.

“This week, the boys are excited about facing a strong Bulldogs team and we’ll see two players make their Harold Matthews debuts in Josh Vella and young Ashton Dewanto,” says coach, Stephen Isdale.

“Last week, we were really focused on us through the week and the boys had some good moments but also some moments we’ll try to improve on this week at training.”

UNE Harold Matthews Cup (Under 17s) - Balmain Tigers

Balmain U/17’s will be looking to bounce back after a heavy defeat to the Magpies last week.

They take on a Dragons team who were defeated 32-8 by the Rabbitohs in Round 1.

“Credit must go to Magpies for their performance on Saturday, they were well prepared and whilst I thought we started well, we couldn’t sustain it for long enough,” says coach Greg Michell.

“We look forward to the Dragons this week, they will be as eager to win as we are after their performance against Souths. They have some dangerous players and we’ll have to be at our best to get a win.

“I’m confident we’ll put in an improved performance this week.”

Westpac Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s) - Wests Tigers 

The Lisa Fiaola Cup Wests Tigers were beaten 28-0 by the Central Coast Roosters in Round 1 and will be hoping to score their first win of the season over the Raiders on Saturday.

Kirkham Oval is the venue for our U/17s girls' second match of the 2025 campaign.

“Not the start we were looking for against the Roosters, but a lot of positive lessons learnt over the playing squad that we will take into our next game against the Raiders and the remaining games,” says coach, Scott Clark.

“The playing group has realised they can not rest on their laurels and they have held themselves accountable to bounce back this week. Our focus leading into the Raiders game is on our execution in good ball and completing our sets in attack, while defensively, completing our tackles and staying connected.”

SLE Andrew Johns Cup (Under 16s) -  Macarthur Wests Tigers

Our Macarthur Wests Tigers Andrew Johns Cup team also begin their season against the Riverina Bulls on Sunday.

Connor Potts skippers the side at halfback, with the side to be coached by Adam Whitelaw.

“It’s been a great pre-season for the boys, every challenge that has been thrown at them, they’ve answered,” says Whitelaw.

“After seeing Riverina’s trial form, they are going to be a tough opponent but our boys have put in the work in the pre-season and are definitely well prepared for this weekend.

“If we play how we’ve trained, we should be in good stead for the challenge.”