Almanac Rugby League – NRLW 2021 Grand Final: Roosters extinguish Dragons

 

 

 

 

The 2021 NRLW season culminated on Sunday at Moreton Daily Stadium when 7855 fans watched the Sydney Roosters triumph over the St George Illawarra Dragons by 16-4. In a hard fought and highly entertaining match, the Roosters were third time lucky winners after having lost two previous Grand Finals to the Brisbane Broncos. In fact they were lucky to even make the finals series after scraping into the top four when results went their way in the very last round. Then, last weekend, they defeated the defending premiers, Brisbane, before going on to down the season’s most consistent team and Grand Final favourites, the Dragons, in the one that really mattered.

 

The Dragons got off to a perfect start, scoring an easy try in their very first set with the ball. They were in charge for most of the first half but could not find the try line again. At the same time, they defended their own line with well organised and committed defence, including a 10-minute period when Taliah Fuimaono was in the sin bin after a high tackle. The Roosters struggled to find space for their powerful backline with Jess Sergis heavily marked by the Dragons. The Dragons seemed likely to go into the break with a 10-0 lead with a try minutes from half-time but Keely Davis was called back by the video referee for a slight knock-on. In the overall scheme of things, perhaps it was a vital reprieve for the Roosters.

 

The game changed in the second half with the Roosters ascendant. After a couple near misses, Yasmin Meakes finally got the Roosters on the board to give them new-found confidence. About 10 minutes later, Isabelle Kelly side-stepped the sliding defence to finish off a play which included several good offloads and finger tip handling. Zahara Temara converted for a 10-4 lead. The Dragons had several chances to even things up as the half progressed but poor fifth tackle plays cruelled their opportunities. Too often they tried to run through the packed midfield on the fifth tackle when a spread to the edges or a well-weighted kick in behind the defensive line were better options.

 

Finally, with less than four minutes on the clock, Olivia Higgins broke out of a couple attempted tackles and appeared to run around an injured player on the ground, who was being assisted by a trainer, to score near the posts. It was an unusual situation, and I’m sure we’ll hear more about it in the coming days, but referee Belinda Sharpe had no hesitation in awarding the try. (By the way, Sharpe had a good game with the whistle, controlling the fiercely contested game with a firm but measured approach.)

 

 

There were any number of good players on both sides. For the winners, none was better than prop Sarah Togatuki who ran strong and straight from go to whoa and then defended stoutly as well. She was a worthy recipient of the Karyn Murphy Medal. Corban Baxter led very well from the back, organising the defence and chiming in regularly in attack. Hannah Southwell was her usual beavering self while halfback Raecene McGregor’s short kicking game was spot-on. The Dragons were best served by fullback Emma Tonegato, halfback Rachael Pearson, lock Hollie Wheeler and interchange player Quincy Dodd. Surprisingly, captain Kezie Apps played only 35 minutes and rampaging prop Elsie Albert only 40 minutes.

 

From a connoisseur’s perspective, this was a game of a very high standard and well befitting a Grand Final. It was passionate, skilful, entertaining, unrelenting, and highly physical. Both sides had their chances with the result in the balance with under five minutes to go. It was a credit to the players and their coaches.

 

 

 

Roll on Season 2022 later in the year!

 

Images: couriermail.com.au and dailytelegraph.com.au

 

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