Round Sixteen
South Perth Lions 60 – Rockingham Sharks 8
By PETER ROWE
The South Perth Lions wrapped up the Fuel to Go and Play Minor Premiership on Saturday with a comprehensive 60-8 victory over the Rockingham Sharks to end what for them has been an amazing season.
Last season the Lions ended up with the wooden spoon. In 2025 they have reversed that position with some stunning football and this 11 tries to two win over the Sharks has sent a message to their rivals ahead of the playoffs that they are the real deal.
Despite the margin of victory coach Duane Gwiazdzinski said there was still more to come from his side.
“I’m happy we won and happy that our defence was good, but there’s still some areas where we can do better,” he said.
“We’re not getting carried away. In two weeks it starts all over again.
“We will rest some sore bodies and be at full strength for the visit of North Beach.”
The Lions opened the scoring after five minutes through winger Billy Judge and extended it 13 minutes later through their other winger Josh Perry after an error from the Sharks defence.
Big centre Corban Daniels grabbed a third minutes later – again down the left edge and Simeon Oi made it 20 before the Sharks crossed for a consolation effort from Josh Bachelor four minutes before the halftime siren.
The Sharks had their chances early in the second half but couldn’t convert and it was left to the dangerous Jayden Evans to re-assert authority, blowing a big hole up the middle of the visitor’s defence that allowed captain Soni Langi to race on the to the pass to score.
Judge grabbed a second in the 50th minute as the Lions roared into top gear on a wet and heavy field that one player described as “trying to run through soup”. Back rower Chris Tuatara then scored the first of his double as the battered and bruised Sharks team folded.
Tuatara was Gwiazdzinski’s player of the match, closely followed by Langi and forward Mason Hiko.
“Chris scored two tries, his first for the club, so I was pleased for him,” Gwiazdzinski said.
Billy Russell was next to cross before Josh Perry grabbed his second of the day.
Player frustration saw two from each side sin-binned (Russell and Lochlan Christy) before back rower Trey Emery raced into space on the left edge to score for the Sharks, but the Lions weren’t finished. Tuatara and Langi wrapped up the scoring for the day, the latter from another burst up the middle from Evans.
