NRLW Grand Final
Sydney Roosters 32 - Cronulla Sharks 28
The Sydney Roosters have won their second NRLW title, withstanding an epic second half comeback from the Cronulla Sharks to run out 32-28 victors at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.
Dally M medallist Olivia Kernick confirmed why she is one of the game’s stars, crossing for the Roosters’ first and last tries to go with 36 tackles and 180 running metres, while five eighth Tarryn Aiken led her team around the park well to claim the Karyn Murphy Medal for player of the match.
It was an incredible first half from the Roosters, who raced to a 24-0 lead at halftime after scoring five tries to zero. The first three of the Roosters tries - Kernick, and one to each of the wingers Jayme Fressard and Brydie Parker - all came after spiralling high kicks from Roosters five eighth Jocelyn Kelleher were unable to be caught cleanly by Sharks players.
Parker scored a second try five minutes later after a beautiful backline movement created an overlap, before superstar centre Jess Sergis ran down the right wing and dummied her way over to score right on half time to make it five tries in 19 minutes and the Roosters had one hand on the trophy with a 24-0 lead.
The Sharks responded immediately in the second half, making good metres from their opening set after the kickoff, and got first points through captain Tiana Penitani, who during the week was named Dally M Captain of the Year as well as being in the Team of the Year. Another two tries in ten minutes from the Sharks, including a great one to hooker Quincy Dodd who finished off some elusive work from fullback Emma Tonegato, reduced the margin to 24-18.
A controversial penalty awarded to the Roosters saw them kick a penalty goal to push the margin out to eight, before Sharks tryscoring frontrower Ellie Johnston crashed over under the posts with nine minutes remaining to make the score 26-24 and the crowd were on the edge of their seats.
Kernick’s second try, almost a replay of her opening score where she ran wide to the right side, reinstated the eight point margin with two minutes to go and the Roosters looked home.
But the Sharks weren’t done, and captain Penitani scored her second with just over a minute remaining, and she chose not to take the attempted conversion in order to not run the clock down any more.
It gave the Sharks one last set of six tackles to score a length of the field miracle try, but the Roosters’ defence held firm and they claimed the trophy.
One of the storylines of the week was Roosters fullback Sammy Bremner, who came out of retirement this season at the request of coach John Strange after the ACL injury to star Corban Baxter. After the match, Strange revealed for the first time the circumstances about recruiting the veteran:
“We’ve got some young players that could’ve stepped up… but my wife, who’s a bit of an expert on rugby league… she was adamant, and I haven’t actually told Sammy this, but she said ‘you need to get Sammy Bremner back, and you need to give her a call.”
For mum of three Bremner, the decision to come back wasn’t filled with any doubt about the physical nature of the sport, but there were other initial doubts:
“I was confident in the physicality of returning to rugby league. For me it was the mental load and the mentality of coming back to an elite level. I had to try to flick a switch pretty quickly from not putting pressure on myself and not really putting myself in an elite arena, to doing that overnight. And I was really challenged by that - I backed myself physically.”
Bremner paid tribute to her teammates and the coaching staff at the Roosters, indicating that she may not have been able to return so successfully in a different envirnonment:
“I didn’t touch a football really for 18 months, and so there was a real lack of confidence in terms of rugby league. I really honestly think if I was to put myself into another team, I wouldn’t have been able to play with any confidence. It’s because of the specific individuals in our team.”
Bremner retires now a premiership player, having already won World Cups, State of Origin and NRLW Nines title. She joins the Dragons next season as their head of female football.
It was also a historic day for Roosters prop Millie Elliott, who joins Tamika Upton in winning four premiership rings, and becomes the first woman and only second NRL/NRLW player in history to win titles with three separate clubs, having also lifted the trophy with Brisbane and Newcastle.
As for the Sharks, their fight back in the second half was as brave as it was entertaining. After the game, Captain Tiana Penitani spoke about what was said at halftime facing a 24 point deficit:
“There was no panic, we said we needed to score first and get back into our groove. I’m honestly so proud of the effort in the second half.”
HER WAY also asked Tiana about the team’s resilience to make the grand final after finishing the regular season with three losses:
“I’m so proud of the connections that we’ve built. Everyone wrote us off, especially in the back end of the season we dropped a few games, and everyone wrote us off in the semis and then wrote us off in the grand final. So for us to stayed connected and prove people wrong, makes me so proud.”
SCORE:
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 32 (Kernick 2, Parker 2, Sergis, Fressard tries: Kelleher 3 goals)
CRONULLA SHARKS 28 ( Penitani 2, Johnston, Dodd, Hannaway tries: Preston 4 goals)