Opinion
The grand final rematch highlights Round 3 of the fifth NRL Women’s season, with the Sydney Roosters and St George Illawarra Dragons given the honour of christening the newly rebuilt Allianz Stadium.
Meantime, in the Queensland Derby, desperate times call for desperate measures with the Broncos and Titans yet to get on the board, then the Knights look to continue the Eels’ misery at home before their men’s side face the Sharks in Newcastle.
Here is your preview.
Roosters vs Dragons
Only one of last year’s grand finalists can move to a 3-0 record, with the Roosters and Dragons having both recorded impressive victories in each of their first two matches.
Facing the Broncos in Brisbane for the first time, the Roosters backed up their epic comeback victory over the same side in last season’s preliminary final with a convincing 28-8 win to officially take the northerners’ crown as the team to beat in NRLW.
Isabelle Kelly and Raecene McGregor were among their best while Sam Bremner showed no signs of slowing down in her second match back from maternity leave, but the win was blighted by a hamstring injury to Jessica Sergis that has her in doubt to face her old side.
Jamie Soward’s Dragons also made it two from two, coming from behind to beat the Parramatta Eels at Commbank Stadium with a 16-10 victory, but the margin could’ve been bigger if not for four missed conversions from each try that they scored.
This match was originally fixtured to be played at Leichhardt Oval following the Wests Tigers vs Raiders NRL match, but the league chose to switch the match to act as a curtain-raiser to the Roosters vs Rabbitohs match on Friday night.
This means that, in what will be a breakthrough occasion for women’s sport in Australia, the Roosters and Dragons will have the honour of contesting the very first sporting event at the brand new Allianz Stadium, which opened for business with a Community Day last weekend.
It will be the first meeting of the clubs since last season’s decider, which the Roosters won 16-4 after the Dragons had a try controversially denied in the shadows of halftime, which, with a successful conversion, would’ve seen them lead 10-0 and be hard to catch.
Instead, the Roosters made it third time lucky as their star-studded side led by Corban Baxter (who is sitting out their premiership defence due to pregnancy), Kelly and Sergis became the first NSW-based team to win the NRLW premiership.
With both sides in such good form, it’s a shame that there can only be one winner, and the Chooks will again prove too strong.
Prediction: Roosters by six points.
Sydney Roosters NRLW (Photo by Matt Blyth/Getty Images)
Broncos vs Titans
The last ‘only’ Queensland Derby before the North Queensland Cowboys enter the competition in 2023 sees the Broncos and Titans attempt to get on the board in a standalone match at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Three years on top of the NRLW throne is finally starting to catch up with Brisbane, who have lost several players to expansion in recent times and after two rounds of the new season find themselves in unfamiliar territory – sitting in last place on the ladder.
Last Saturday afternoon they crashed to a disappointing 28-8 loss to the Roosters, the same side to whom they surrendered an early 16-0 lead to give up their premiership defence in the preliminary final last season.
That followed a 32-14 loss to the Knights in Newcastle, where ex-Broncos Tamika Uption and Millie Boyle starred for their new club.
What is just about their final chance to rescue their season comes when they host the Titans, who are also winless and are coming off a self-branded “embarrassing” loss to the Knights, despite the scoreline reading only 16-12.
Veteran prop Steph Hancock made those comments after her side failed to capitalise on their chances in the first half.
Like the Broncos, time is also running out for the Titans to make an impression this season, and while they’re yet to win a match their points differential is only -18 and of the three winless sides sit fourth on the ladder.
Kelvin Wright’s side will be out not just to make a statement, but also seek some redemption after they suffered a 28-26 loss on the Gold Coast last season, in which Brianna Clark sunk her current club with a penalty goal at the death to win it for the Titans.
With the Cowboys entering the competition next year, both clubs can brace for the loss of even further players.
On present matters though, the women from Red Hill should bank their first win for the season.
Prediction: Broncos by four points.
Ali Brigginshaw (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Knights vs Eels
Wooden spooners after failing to win a single match last season, the Knights spent big by luring Tamika Upton and Millie Boyle from Brisbane, and both have made a huge impact for their new side.
Halfback Jesse Southwell continues to impress for the Novocastrians, who are back in front of their home fans and will be hoping to bring some early joy before their men’s side wrap up a season from hell against the Cronulla Sharks later in the afternoon.
Thanks to tries from Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly, Emma Manzelmann and Upton, the Knights led 16-6 at halftime but were forced to defend for their lives in the second half as the Titans threatened a comeback in front of their fans before hanging on to win 16-12.
While the Knights have impressed, the Eels were unfortunate to have had to cop last year’s grand finalists in their first two matches, but after they were badly outclassed by the Roosters, the blue and golds gave a good account of themselves against the Dragons at home.
Led by a long-range try from ex-Dragon Tiana Penitani, the Eels threatened an upset when they led 10-8 at halftime, before coughing up two unanswered tries to crash to their second loss of the season and sit in fifth place with a points differential of -28.
Time is ticking on their season if they are to earn a semi-final berth, which they lost after they suffered a heavy loss to the Broncos in their final match last season – a result which it appears they’re still to recover from mentally or psychologically.
They will be hoping to make it two from two against the Knights, having beaten them 13-12 in Newcastle in Round 1 last season.
But with a revamped playing list, and the potential for more improvement, the Novocastrians should make it three from three and all but deliver the last rites to the westerners’ finals hopes.
Prediction: Knights by 12 points.
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