Revenge is often a great motivator in sport.

And, payback’s at the top of the list for both the Lakes United Seagulls and Western Suburbs Rosellas as they prepare to meet in the Tooheys Newcastle Rugby League (Real NRL) under-19 grand final at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday 2 September.

Twelve months ago, the same two sides contested the decider, with Wests prevailing 22-16.

Lakes wants to get even.

On the flipside, the Seagulls have claimed four victories at the expense of their weekend rivals in 2023.

Now, the Rosellas are seeking retribution by ending their opponent’s undefeated record.

“Yeah, it would be nice to upset them,” Wests halfback Kynan Toomey said.

“Even though we’ve travelled well this season, we ended up with five losses – and three of them were to Lakes (22-16, 34-14, 8-7).

“They then knocked us over 26-14 in the major semi a fortnight ago.

“So, we’d love to get one back on them, especially on grand final day, and leave with the trophy.

“There’s also an opportunity for the boys to go back-to-back and defend their title.

“If anything, that should fire them up, too.”

Lakes captain Jed Rouse is just as determined to lead his side to glory.

“We made the decider last year and came up short,” he said.

“So, we have a chance to square the ledger.

“There are about five of us from the 2022 squad; we don’t want to go through that (defeat) again, and the other boys are keen as well.”

While the Seagulls went through unbeaten, the Rosellas finished second and then had to overcome the Maitland Pickers 20-12 in the prelim to progress to the finale.

“Everyone’s handling the build-up to the game pretty good,” Toomey told the Newcastle Weekly.

“There doesn’t seem to be any nerves around yet, although it could change after training (on Thursday night).

“We got through last week’s match without any injuries, so I think we’re looking good.

“It’ll be tough.

“Lakes are a good team, they’re all class.

“We’ll need to stick to our game plan, stay with them the entire time, and put a massive defensive focus on their middles.”

As for the Seagulls, Rouse claimed they were well-placed to continue their winning ways.

“Being undefeated was good, it’s pretty humbling to do that with the boys,” he said.

“But, we’ve spoken about finishing what we started, we haven’t achieved anything yet.

“We also know they’re coming for us.

“We’re the hunted, so I think it’s time for us to go hunting on grand final day.

“We’ll concentrate on our game plan, we’ll stay focussed and keep to our structure.

“If we do that, we’ll get the job done.

“Hopefully, we can bring a title home to Lakes United… and build something for the future, there are a lot of good juniors coming through.”

Under-19 line-ups:

• Lakes United Seagulls: Wil Botham, Luke Morgan, Hunter Jenkins, Zeek Faulkner, Charles Hennessy, Ty-James Davis-Dates, Kyle McDermott, Cooper Ralph, Wil Swain, Elijah Hebden-Penitoa, Daniel Ward, Jacob Marshall, Jed Rouse, Kohen Lee, Chey Emerton, Cooper Wallis, Nathan Thomas, Ivan Sua-Leaupepe, Mason Forbes, Max Bolte, Harry Muir, Alex Gjoreski, Reece Butler, Bede Emerton, Baylen Lowe, Cooper Tolar
• Western Suburbs Rosellas: Taylor Griffen, Deacon Lewis, Elias Kennedy, Tyrese Gordon, Mitchell Connors, Jamie Thorpe, Kynan Toomey, Kade Youlten, Ashton Daley, Callum Hannah, Benjamin Wellard, Liam Williams, Harry Lawry, Travis May, Thomas Dyer, Harrison Kearsey, Jack Haylen, Zye Midwood, Jay Leota, Calum Fraser

Tooheys Newcastle Rugby League

2023 play-offs:

Preliminary final results

• Denton Engineering Cup: South Newcastle Lions d Cessnock Goannas 28-22
• Reserve grade: Western Suburbs Rosellas d Cessnock Goannas 22-8
• Under-19s: Western Suburbs Rosellas d Maitland Pickers 20-12

Grand final draw

Saturday 2 September

McDonald Jones Stadium

• Gates open: 9.45am
• Under-19s: 10.15am – Lakes United Seagulls v Western Suburbs Rosellas
• Reserve grade: Noon – Maitland Pickers v Western Suburbs Rosellas
• Denton Engineering Cup: 2pm – Maitland Pickers v South Newcastle Lions

For more sports stories:

• REAL NRL: Young Goanna Caleb Garvie packing his bags for nation’s capital
• REAL NRL: Lions powerhouse Afflick eyes grand final prize
• REAL NRL: A Jolly good time for commentary duo

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