Sydney Roosters have grabbed top spot on the NRLW ladder and ended North Queensland’s finals hopes with a 24-12 win in Gosford.
It comes as Parramatta kept their mathematical chances of a finals berth alive by beating Canberra 18-16.
The Roosters joined Brisbane and Cronulla on 12 points but have the best for-and-against of the three sides. The minor premiership will not be decided until next week’s final round of the regular season.
Newcastle are fourth on 10 points with a positive for-and-against of 74. The Cowboys are on eight points but their poor differential of -49 is too much to make up in one game, even though they host the Knights on Saturday.
There was plenty on the line for both sides and they played accordingly.
Roosters hooker Keeley Davis and back-rower Olivia Kernick have combined superbly this year and did so again for the opening try to the rampaging Kernick.
Cowboys captain Kirra Dibb has enjoyed a stand-out season and the skilful half stepped off her left foot to level it up at 6-6 in her old home town.
Dibb set up centre Jakiya Whitfield for her sixth try of the season and an upset was brewing.
Roosters forward Eliza Lopamaua was sin-binned for a hip-drop tackle but second-rower Amber Hall had a try awarded by The Bunker official Kasey Badger after it was ruled no-try on the field.
Roosters centre Jasmin Strange scored on the cusp of halftime to put a dagger in the hearts of the Cowboys.
It was the power game of the Roosters that proved the difference, with prop Otese Pule barging over for the decisive play.
Brydie Parker came into the side to replace injured playmaker Tarryn Aiken and impressed, with halves partner Jocelyn Kelleher one of the best on the park.
In Sunday’s later game, Parramatta maintained their slim hope of a fairytale finals berth with an 18-16 defeat of Canberra at GIO Stadium.
To eke out a top-four finish from here, last season’s wooden spooners must upset the ladder-leading Roosters next week and have Newcastle lose to the Cowboys.
The margins must combine to equal at least 85 points for Parramatta to leapfrog the Knights into fourth place.
Up 12-0 at half-time, the clumsy Eels invited eighth-placed Canberra back into the game through repetitive errors.
Parramatta’s goal-line defence was stoic, notably denying Raiders behemoth Grace Kemp and scrambling to hold Mackenzie Wiki out.
But Raiders captain Simaima Taufa broke the levy and reduced the deficit to two points when she barged through the middle as the last 10 minutes approached.
Eels halfback Rach Pearson landed a crisp 40/30 kick to alleviate the pressure on Parramatta, putting centre Rory Owen in position to open up a six-point buffer as the minutes ticked down.
Pearson landed an ultimately crucial penalty goal soon afterwards.
Canberra winger Shakiah Tungai cruised over in the final minute but the Raiders made the mistake of not forgoing their conversion attempt.
Zehara Temara nailed the kick from the right-hand touch-line but there was not enough time for play to restart, as the Eels held on.
Broncos upset Sharks
Brisbane have all but confirmed their NRLW finals berth after Chelsea Lenarduzzi’s last-minute try sealed a thrilling 20-16 defeat of ladder-leading Cronulla.
It comes as Newcastle ended Gold Coast’s top-four hopes and reasserted their own heavyweight status with a 46-10 thrashing of the Titans – the biggest win in the Knights’ NRLW history.
Made to defend their line for long periods at Cbus Super Stadium, the Broncos rolled up-field on a seven-tackle set and took an unlikely lead when fullback Hayley Maddick found prop Lenarduzzi with a short ball.
The Queensland representative barrelled over Sharks lock Brooke Anderson en route to the tryline to seal Brisbane’s sixth-straight win with 16 seconds to spare in Saturday’s game.
It would take a big loss to ninth-placed St George Illawarra next week and Parramatta to score similarly decisive wins in their last two games for Brisbane to miss the top four from here.
It marks quite the turnaround for Scott Prince’s side, who went winless across the opening two weeks of the season.
Winger Stacey Waaka left the field just before half-time in the only blight on the Broncos’ afternoon, a leg injury looking set to keep the New Zealand rugby sevens Olympic gold medallist out for the remainder of her debut NRLW season.
Earlier, the Sharks scored twice in the six minutes after half-time to erase the Broncos’ four-point lead, seeking to bounce back from last week’s 40-0 humbling from the Sydney Roosters.
But winger Julia Robinson grabbed a cut-out pass from Maddick to bring the Broncos back within two points, before Lenarduzzi stepped up in the dying seconds.
Knights topple Titans in style
In Saturday’s later game, Titans five-eighth Sienna Lofipo dropped the kick-off and triggered a first-half onslaught from the visitors; Newcastle’s 34-0 lead at the break was the equal-largest in premiership history.
NSW second-rower Yasmin Clydsdale scythed past Lofipo for the first of her two tries on the fourth tackle of the day, before superstar fullback Tamika Upton began pulling the strings.
Upton chased down Georgia Roche’s kick for her own four-pointer and an 18-0 lead after 16 minutes, before throwing the last pass in two more four-pointers in the first half.
The floodgates reopened when Ngatokotoru Arakua went to the sin bin for the hip-drop tackle that sidelined Nita Maynard with an ankle injury in the second half.
While the Knights had the personnel advantage, Upton helped right winger Sheridan Gallagher become the first Knights player to record an NRLW hat-trick.
The 46-10 win usurps last season’s 38-4 thrashing of Parramatta as the Knights’ most comprehensive in four seasons.
Runners-up last year, the Titans are now unable to break into the top four with one round remaining in the regular season.
Simone Karpani joined Maynard in the Knights’ casualty ward after landing awkwardly on her left ankle in the final minutes, another potential blow as Newcastle chase a third consecutive premiership.
Titans superstar Jaime Chapman also had her afternoon ended prematurely by an ankle complaint.
Tigers put wind up Dragons
Wests Tigers have held off a St George Illawarra comeback to record their first win after 14 consecutive NRLW losses.
It was a wild, wet and windy Thursday night at Leichhardt Oval when bottom-of-the ladder Wests Tigers, with nothing to lose, took on the ninth-placed Dragons.
The Tigers came out firing and led 14-0 at halftime, but the Dragons scored the first two tries of the second half to make the scores 14-10.
St George Illawarra scored another try to make things even more tense, before a Pauline Piliae-Rasabale penalty goal ensured the home side held on for a 16-14 win.
Tigers coach Brett Kimmorley said it was fantastic the side finally notched a win to snap a 14-match losing streak.
“Tonight they get to celebrate what winning a game of footy feels like,” he said.
“There is a huge connection in this playing group, lots of positives the last few days, and that was probably showing out there on the field when it was time to work hard.”
The Tigers dominated the first half despite tough weather conditions, with winger Rebecca Pollard crossing the line within the opening 10 minutes after a penalty against Dragons prop Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa.
It was another 11 minutes before the Tigers scored their next try, with both sides going error for error in the tough conditions, with seven errors made in the five minutes after Pollard’s try.
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Leianne Tufuga was next to score off her own line-break, with halfback Piliae-Rasable successfully converting.
Just before halftime Pollard went under the sticks for her second try of the night.
St George Illawarra hit the ground running in the second half, with Maatuleio Fotu-Moala scoring first and Madison Mulhall following up as the Dragons clawed their way back.
The Dragons had plenty of opportunities to score, but it was the Tigers’ tireless goal-line defence that received the most praise from Kimmorley, who said it was some of the best defence he had seen all year.
“I thought the second half they were outstanding, they had to defend and they had to work hard,” he said.
“The Dragons had plenty of opportunities, and the ability for them (the Tigers) to just stay in the fight and turn up, I thought it was an amazing effort.”
It was winger Fotu-Moala’s second try for the night at the 68- minute mark that nearly led to the Tigers blowing their chance to break a 14-game losing streak.
However, with a conversion missed by Raecene McGregor and a hospital pass out wide to Teagan Berry, the Tigers were able to cling on and notch their first win in 410 days.
Playing in just her second NRLW game, 18-year-old Evie McGrath said it was wonderful to win, especially on their home ground.
“There is not a better place to win at then Leichhardt Oval,” she said.
“It is an honour to play here.”
The Tigers’ win will not change the ladder, with Wests remaining favourites to “win” the wooden spoon, and St George Illawarra to remain in ninth place.
There is a chance the Tigers can escape the dreaded wooden spoon, if they beat top-of-the table Cronulla, and the Dragons lose to the Broncos in Townsville.
If the Tigers do end up winning the wooden spoon, it will be the first time a club has finished last in both the NRL and the NRLW.
© AAP