Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) /

The Harold Matthews Cup (under-19) is a short-form New South Wales Rugby League competition which runs concurrently with the SG Ball Cup (under-19).

It’s provides a key step up the development ladder with the prospect of advancing to the SG Ball Cup and beyond the following season.

Like the SG Ball Cup and the Jersey Flegg Cup, the Harold Matthews – which runs from February-April - has a rich history of developing countless top-class footballers at the highest levels in the Test, State of Origin and NRL arenas.

The One New Zealand Warriors entered the under-17 competition for the first time in 2024, pulling together a squad from across the country including a number of players from rugby union backgrounds.

After beginning the season indifferently with a heavy loss to Parramatta (6-34) followed by another to the Sydney Roosters (18-28), the Warriors rallied with a last-minute 22-17 victory over South Sydney which sparked a run of four consecutive wins.

A 10-40 defeat by Cronulla Sutherland put another dent in their hopes of making the top six but fate intervened in the final regular season round.

The sixth-placed Manly Warringah stumbled with a draw against the Central Coast Roosters on the Saturday to leave the door open for the Warriors in the final match of the round a day later. All they needed was to beat St George and they were in, which they did with a thumping 46-10 victory.

What followed was the stuff of dreams as the TJ Ashford-coached side first avenged their season-opening loss to the vaunted Eels with a stunning 30-20 triumph.

A week later they were back across the Tasman and held on to shut out Canterbury Bankstown 12-10 in grim conditions to hand them a third consecutive Trans-Tasman trip for the grand final against Western Suburbs at CommBank Stadium.

After conceding two tries in the first six minutes, the Warriors went on a rampage with five unanswered tries en route to an outstanding 34-16 win, so creating history by becoming the first club to win the premiership on debut since the competition’s inaugural season in 1970.

A total of 30 players were used during the campaign.

Harold Matthews Cup performances:
2024 | 6th (won premiership)