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Sunday, October 1, 2023

NRLW Round 4: Roosters fly into first after sinking Sharks, Knights end Titans' golden start, Broncos duo banned





With a 36-12 victory, the Sydney Roosters overcame a poor start to breeze past Cronulla and continue their ascent up the NRLW table.

They trailed 12-0 after 17 minutes but ultimately got their stride, with winger Jayme Fressard's hat-trick and a monster performance from skipper Isabelle Kelly ensuring they blew the Sharks away in the second half.


Fressard's maiden try, after pouncing on a Cronulla error with the ball to sprint 60m in 25 minutes, provided the spark her team needed, and it was the first of seven consecutive Sydney scores that turned the game on its head.


Centre Jessica Sergis quickly put Fressard in for her second, and fullback Corban Baxter crossed early in the second half thanks to Kelly's assist.


Fressard completed her hat-trick on 46 minutes for a 20-12 advantage at PointsBet Stadium before things got out of hand, with Kelly icing the cake three minutes later with a try warranted by her dominant effort.


Five-eighth Tarryn Aiken had a fantastic organizing game and found three line-break assists, while Kelly's massive 239m and three line-breaks supplied the Roosters the winning momentum.


"Our first half wasn't the greatest, and we didn't complete, but in the second half, we showcased what we can do when we have footy in our hands," Kelly stated.


"We simply focused on ourselves; we were a little chaotic in the first half, possibly jumping off tackles too early... Just going through the motions.


"(But then) we played footy, and it opened up for us on our edges, and that's what we can do."


The victory propels the star-studded Roosters to the top of the NRLW ladder, and they face the Gold Coast next weekend.


Without injured fullback Jada Taylor, Cronulla's Emma Tonegato returned to her usual No. 1 position, with Maddie Studdon playing in the halves in her maiden game for the Sharks.


Tonegato didn't take long to settle in at the back, setting up a try for winger Kiana Takairangi before prop Holli Wheeler powered over from close range to capitalize on a sloppy Sydney defensive attempt.


The Knights spoil the Titans' unbeaten start.


Newcastle ended Gold Coast's undefeated start to the NRLW season with a 22-10 victory, moving the reigning champions to second place.


The Knights led the entire afternoon at home, leading 16-4 at halftime after Abigail Roache sealed a double with an 80-metre intercept try in the final minute.


But Newcastle couldn't escape the Titans, one of the season's biggest surprises so far.


Newcastle was down to 12 players when centre Shanice Parker was sent off for upending rookie Titans halfback Sienna Lofipo.


But Gold Coast, who had been making mistakes all day, couldn't take advantage of the 10-minute opening to grab the lead, scoring only once through Lofipo herself.


"We can't keep giving away points and making mistakes, and we did it again." "There are some takeaways from that game," Titans coach Karyn Murphy said.


In the final 15 minutes, Titans star hooker Lauren Brown went for a head injury evaluation, greatly undermining the visitors' chances of victory.


After setting up Roache's first try with a short ball, Knights fullback Tamika Upton sprinted through a hole on the left to put the game out of reach with her four-pointer.


"Today, we wanted to leave a performance out there, a defensive performance that displayed plenty of grit," Knights coach Ron Griffiths said.


"That's what we aimed for all week, and that's what we did."


Albert is hurt as the Eels lose again.


Parramatta's bad luck in the NRLW season has continued as star recruit Elsie Albert re-injured her calf in their 22-12 loss to Brisbane, who were down to 11 players for over 10 minutes.


After missing the season's first three games due to a training injury, PNG international prop Albert tweaked her calf just before halftime in her club debut.


Albert hobbled off the pitch at Brisbane's Langlands Park with the help of two trainers and seems poised to join suspended forward Kennedy Cherrington on the sidelines.


Last-placed Parramatta were ready to fight on Saturday, with new halfback Rach Pearson returning from a calf injury of her own.


After Brisbane quickly lost two players to the sin bin, Parramatta had a nine-minute window to capture all momentum.


Prop Brianna Clark was the first to be penalized for making direct shoulder contact with Eels fullback Abbi Church's head.


Only a minute later, bench forward Jasmine Fogavini tackled Rueben Cherrington and joined Clark on the bench.



Clark and Fogavini have been charged with grade-two offences and will miss next week's game against the Knights due to their early guilty pleas.


By taking their claims to the courts, they risk missing the ensuing match against high-flying newcomers Canberra.


Following Fogavini's departure, the Eels scored their second try through Monique Donovan on the right edge of the set, with Pearson reducing the margin to four points with a precise sideline conversion.


The Eels came close to taking the lead as Clark prepared to return, but Church's pass to an unmarked Kim Hunt was ruled to have gone forward.


When Mariah Denman barged over in the final minutes to seal a Broncos victory, Parramatta rued their error.


Meanwhile, Canberra dug deep to earn a golden-point victory over St George Illawarra, extending their NRLW winning streak to three games.


The Raiders appeared to be on their way to a big win when they led 18-6 at halftime, but they were tested when the Dragons scored two tries in the final 13 minutes to tie the game.


However, after another brilliant kicking performance, Dally M candidate Zahara Temara iced the game in extra time with a coolly placed drop goal after her first effort was charged down in a 19-18 triumph.


The result lifted the Raiders to joint-top of the NRLW ladder in their inaugural season, with co-captain Simaima Taufa also impressing with a 192m, 26-tackle effort.


In the earlier game at Langlands Park, North Queensland, they left it late to break Wests Tigers' hearts and win 16-12.


A penalty goal put the Tigers ahead 12-10 midway through the second half, and they appeared to be on their way to win despite the absence of star fullback Botille Vette-Welsh due to concussion.


The Cowboys had one more chance to strike when Tigers rookie Rebecca Pollard spilt a high kick in the final minutes.


That was all they required as five-eighths. As time expired, Tahlulah Tillett threaded a cut-out pass to Jasmine Peters on the right edge for a try.


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Item Reviewed: NRLW Round 4: Roosters fly into first after sinking Sharks, Knights end Titans' golden start, Broncos duo banned Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Risul Islam