NRLW preliminary finals preview: Who makes it to the big dance?

And then there were four.

The Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra Dragons are primed to set up yet a premiership showdown against each other, with the two foundation clubs of NRL Women’s to start favourites in their respective preliminary finals against the Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans.

Both those clubs proved to be the most dominant clubs of the delayed 2021 season, with the Broncos’ only loss being against local rivals the Titans on the Gold Coast in Round 4 and the Dragons falling short against the three-time premiers at CommBank Stadium in Round 3.

There will be no premiership showdown between the Broncos and Roosters, because that will be the second preliminary final which will be played following the first match between the Dragons and Titans, which kicks off at 12:00pm.

The Roosters lost a hard-fought match against the Dragons at Kogarah Oval last Saturday afternoon, but qualified as the fourth-placed team after the Eels suffered a heavy loss to the Broncos in the final match of the regular season.

That latter result saw Kelvin Wright’s team take back the minor premiership on for-and-against, having been overtaken by the Dragons who recorded the largest win in the competition’s short history when they thrashed the Knights in Newcastle in Round 4.

Jamie Soward’s side settled for second, and will play the Titans, who qualified courtesy of a come-from-behind win over the Novocastrians, who finished the season winless and therefore took out the wooden spoon.

Both preliminary finals will be played at Leichhardt Oval, and will be televised on Channel Nine before they take the telecast of the Storm-Bulldogs NRL match at AAMI Park in the afternoon.

Here is your preview of the two preliminary finals.

Dragons vs Titans

This season: Dragons 20 defeated Titans 12 in round one at McDonald Jones Stadium

Last meeting in a final: Never

After struggling in their first few seasons save for a grand final berth in 2019, the Dragons under Jamie Soward have realised their potential, despite being without several key players due to injuries and suspensions in the middle part of the season.

They finished with the best defence in the competition, coughing up only 48 points, and were one of only two sides to score over 100 points across the five matches (only the Broncos scored more points, with 134).

Among the highlights was a 10-0 shutout win over the Parramatta Eels in atricious conditions in Wollongong, in which halfback revelation Rachael Pearson scored all of her side’s points, and a 40-4 thrashing of the Knights in Newcastle.

The margin in the latter match could have been so much larger if they hadn’t missed eight conversions – nonetheless, it was still a record victory and the 40 points they scored was the most by any side in an NRL Women’s match.

Dragons players celebrate a try by Page McGregor against Newcastle. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

Pearson is a chance to return for the Dragons after missing the 16-10 win over the Roosters due to a back injury, and she’ll need to replicate her impressive form if they are to edge past the Titans and qualify for a second grand final in four years.

The Titans finished their inaugural season with a 3-2 record, beating the Roosters, Broncos and Knights, with the highlight being the 28-26 win over their M1 neighbours in round four where Brianna Clark booted the match-winning penalty goal at the death.

Last week, Jamie Feeney’s side came from behind to beat a spirited Knights side that had nothing to play for, ultimately securing its berth in the finals with a 14-10 victory at Suncorp Stadium.

They’ll have learnt plenty of lessons from their Round 1 loss to the Dragons, which they lost by just 20-12 after Quincy Dodd scored for the Red V with less than a minute remaining.

Having won a premiership as a Dragons player in 2010, Soward will now be hoping to lead his side into the decider, and with a talented side at his disposal, will start hot favourites to do so.

Prediction

Dragons by eight points.

Broncos vs Roosters

This season: Broncos 20 defeated Roosters 4 in round one at McDonald Jones Stadium

Last meeting in a final: Broncos 20 defeated Roosters 10 in the 2020 Grand Final at Accor Stadium

All that stands between the Brisbane Broncos, a fourth consecutive grand final berth and greatness in the competition’s history are the Sydney Roosters, who will be hoping to qualify for their third decider in five years.

Once again, Kelvin Wright’s side finished as minor premiers for the fourth consecutive time, losing only one match for the season – a 28-26 thriller against the Gold Coast Titans on the holiday strip in Round 4.

It prevented the three-time premiers from completing another perfect regular season, with their only other loss also being by two points against the temporarily-defunct New Zealand Warriors at the SCG in Round 3, 2019 (the Warriors are in recess due to COVID-19).

Nonetheless, the Broncos have proven why they have been the most consistent side in the league’s short history, winning their other four matches by an average of 18 points and boasting the best attack in the competition.

Last week they needed to beat Parramatta by more than 20 points and they did exactly that with a 38-4 victory which not only put them back on top of the ladder, but also relegated the Eels to also-rans in their first season in the league.

It was just two points short of the record victory the Dragons had over the Knights in Round 4.

Meanwhile, after dropping their first two matches of the season, the Roosters hit back with victories over newcomers the Knights and Eels, before losing to the Dragons by 16-10 and having to watch on to see whether they would win their way into the finals.

The tricolours had two tries disallowed by the bunker in the first half, while recruit Jessica Sergis was run down by Dragon Emma Tonegato just metres short of the try-line, having made a 55-metre run down the western sideline.

They have the Broncos to thank for their win over the Eels, which dropped the blue-and-golds’ points differential from an even 0 to -34, below the Roosters’ -15, meaning the Roosters qualified on percentage and thus remain in contention for the premiership.

If they are to force their way into the decider, they’ll have to overcome the challenge that is facing the three-time premiers Brisbane head on, and a full team effort will be required if they are to cause an upset at Leichhardt Oval.

Prediction

Broncos by 14 points.