Gungahlin Eagles Premier 15s 41 def. Canberra Royals Premier 15s 20
BentSpoke Premier 15s – Round 11
Phillip Oval – Saturday, July 5, 2025
By Canberra Royals

The Canberra Royals Women’s Premier 15s side suffered a disappointing 41-20 defeat to Gungahlin Eagles at Phillip Oval on Saturday afternoon, despite showing moments of quality throughout the encounter.

While the final scoreline was not what the home supporters were hoping for, there were positive individual performances and passages of play that demonstrated the continued development within the squad.

The Royals opened the scoring through centre Ainsley Scrivener, who crossed for the first of her two tries in the match. However, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful as the home side led 5-0 in the early stages.

Scrivener completed her double soon after, again with the conversion unsuccessful, extending the Royals’ lead to 10-0. Winger Ashlea Bishop added the team’s third try, with another missed conversion keeping the score at 15-0.

Substitute Grace Wills, who had replaced Bishop during the match, crossed for the Royals’ fourth and final try, though the conversion was again unsuccessful as they established a 20-0 lead.

However, the visitors mounted a sustained comeback that proved decisive. Centre Siutiti Maake opened the Eagles’ account in the 14th minute, with flyhalf Olivia Scott adding the conversion to reduce the deficit to 20-7.

Inside centre Angelica Kavaliku-Skinner extended the Eagles’ momentum in the 16th minute, with Scott successful from the tee to bring the score to 20-14. Maake completed her second try in the 21st minute, again converted by Scott, as the visitors levelled the scores at 20-20.

The second half belonged entirely to the visiting side, with fullback Jasmine Kelley crossing in the 46th minute, though Scott was unable to add the conversion as they took their first lead at 25-20.

Prop Tilila Hifo powered over in the 51st minute, with another missed conversion extending the advantage to 30-20. Maake completed her hat-trick in the 55th minute, with Scott converting to push the score to 37-20.

Prop Talina Driti completed the scoring for the Eagles in the 63rd minute, with the conversion unsuccessful. The Eagles added additional points to reach the final score of 41-20.

Head coach Darren Goodwin was forced into an early injury substitution when Bonnie Brewer was replaced by Luci Wilson. The coaching staff also utilized tactical changes throughout the match, with Ashlea Bishop replaced by Grace Wills, Luci Wilson by Abigail Murray.

The match was not without its disciplinary issues, with Jane Phelps receiving a yellow card for intentional infringement, though the team maintained their structure despite the numerical disadvantage.

Despite the result, there were standout individual performances from the Royals. Scrivener’s double highlighted her finishing ability and attacking instincts, while Bishop and Wills both contributed tries that demonstrated the squad’s scoring potential.

The coaching staff will use this result as a learning opportunity as they continue to develop combinations and build toward future success.