And then there were five. After the results in round eight of the NRLW, there are five teams still battling it out for a top four spot; the Sharks, Roosters, Broncos, Knights and the Eels.
The Wests Tigers may still be at the bottom of the ladder, but scored their first in of the season against St George Illawarra, the Knights absolutely demolished the Gold Coast Titans and the Eels held on in a tight one in the nation’s capital against the Canberra Raiders.
Here are your round eight talking points.
Tigers triumphant
They did it! It was a heartstopper, but on Thursday night in appalling conditions at Leichhardt the Tigers got their first win of the season, beating the Dragons 16-14 and ending a 14-match losing streak.
Their outside backs were sensational. Rebecca Pollard scored a double and Rikeya Horne continued to create opportunity after opportunity with her strength and pace. It was a nerve-racking last couple of minutes due to a late Dragons thanks to a great Keele Browne pass to Maatuleio Fotu-Moala. Unfortunately Raecene McGregor could not nail the conversion and the Tigers got the win.
It’s been a tough old season for the Tigers, not at all helped by a season-ending injury to Kezie Apps.
But, the Tigers seem to have one eye on the future with the number of local juniors in this team and if their recent form has been anything to go by, the future is bright for this team. Players like Evie McGrath and Chelsea Savill are two players I’ll be keeping an eye on.
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What has happened to the Titans?
This was really ugly. I had the Titans as my tip for premiers this year and their season is now absolutely over after a 46-10 loss to the Knights where Tamika Upton had three try assists and Sheridan Gallagher scored a hat trick.
What I loved about the Titans last year was how all the different parts of their team worked together. It was not about any one player, but all the parts working together. They had the youngsters like Rilee Jorgensen and Sienna Lofipo, experienced internationals like Georgia Hale, power in the forwards through Jessika Elliston and Shannon Mato and a playmaker like Lauren Brown that could execute. Those pieces are not firing on all cylinders this year.
This year, the Titans have had some injuries, but it feels like there has been a lot of dependency on Brown to create attacking opportunities. Georgia Hale is also looking tired – it doesn’t surprise me given that she has been a tackling machine for much of her career. She made 43 tackles in the Titans loss to the Knights this week.
It’s not panic stations for the Titans, but this year will feel like an opportunity lost.
Parra get another close win
The Eels made it so hard for themselves but were incredibly brave to get a two point win over the Raiders. The Eels were leading 12-0 at the break, but then only completed one set in the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Despite this, their goal line defence was outstanding with some scramble and tough cover defence denying the Raiders again and again.
In the end, two 40/30s (one was a 40/20!) from Rachael Pearson which were the difference, giving the Eels crucial field position which they converted into points.
Quick Hits
• It’s great to see some NRLW players beginning to amass player milestones. McGregor, Isabelle Kelly and Keeley Davis all played their 40th NRLW game on the weekend.
• Shout out to Claudia Brown who left the field in the 66th minute for the Tigers for an HIA. But there seemed to be an accidental elbow to the eye which left an absolute pearler for the youngster on debut. Wishing her a speedy recovery.
• The Broncos have now won six games in a row and their attack is sensational to watch. Stacey Waaka has scored six tries in six games and Julia Robinson, who almost made 200 metres against the Sharks, has scored 10 tries in 11 games.
• The Knights’ win over the Titans was their biggest win in their NRLW history.
• The Roosters now sit on top of the NRLW ladder with a week remaining; a tough blow for the Sharks who had been the dominant team up until a week ago.
• Isabelle Kelly’s run metres have been a thing to behold this year, making 350 metres for the Chooks against the Sharks.
Onto the next
It may come down to the final game of the NRLW season to determine the make-up of the top four.
Newcastle and the Eels are on 10 points, with the Knights significantly ahead based on for and against.
For the Eels to make the finals, they will be closely watching the game between the Knights and the Cowboys. If the Knights win, then the Eels will need to rack up a huge score against the Sydney Roosters to book their finals spot.
A tough ask, but as we have seen in this competition time and time again, it’s unpredictable.
The Roosters will also be sweating on the fitness of both Kelly and Tarryn Aiken. Regardless, we have an exciting finals series to look forward to no matter which of those five teams ultimately makes the top four.
Mary Konstantopouloshttps://https://ift.tt/7CNjscd Round 8 Talking Points: Five into four won’t go, Tigers earn stripes and the contenders who’ve become pretenders
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