Roosters roll on while Wests Tigers break their duck
Margie McDonald |
The Sydney Roosters have displaced Brisbane to return to the top of the NRLW table with a 30-14 victory over the Knights, but have lost fullback Corban Baxter to a left knee injury.
While celebrating the 50-game milestones of key players Isabelle Kelly and Keeley Davis, the Roosters may lose another international in Baxter for a few weeks with only four rounds until the finals.
“She’s going for scans, so we’ll see and go from there,” coach John Strange said of Baxter, who missed the 2024 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
In Sunday’s earlier game, Wests Tigers got the monkey off their back with their first win of the season, 16-12 over the Dragons.
For the Roosters, two tries put them ahead at the break, but losing Baxter was offset a little by the return of NSW Origin player Jayme Fressard just six weeks after fracturing her right elbow in round one.
“It was really nice to have Frez back,” said Origin teammate and skipper Kelly.
“We all knew that no matter what, she was always going to come back quicker than the timeline she was given.”
A double by Roosters half Tarryn Aiken in the 46th and 49th minutes did the damage, helping them to a 24-10 lead.
Far from being done, Knights No.6 Georgia Roache and winger Tess Staines crossed, but Jesse Southwell not converting either hurt Newcastle’s chances.
When the Roosters’ Dally M Player of the Year Olivia Kernick crossed under the posts, it was all over.
The Knights lost fullback Botille Vette-Welsh to a knee injury in the warm-up, which gave 18th player Lilly-Ann White just five minutes’ warning she was going to play.
“I was really happy with how Lilly went and, sure, the Roosters are the benchmark team at the moment, but we just gave them a little too much ball on our line,” coach Ben Jefferies said.
Roosters goal-kicking half Jocelyn Kelleher hit five from five and made two line-breaks and two try assists.
Due to Baxter’s injury, Davis had to play 70 minutes at No.9 and made a game-hgh 38 tackles.
Watching the Raiders secure their first win for 2025 on Saturday proved the perfect motivation for Wests Tigers to do the same on Sunday.
They scored after just five minutes through five-eighth Jetaya Faifua and pounced again via winger Tiana-Lee Thorne, when Dragons middle forward Hannah Southwell was in the sin bin for a lifting tackle.
Faifua grabbed her double just before halftime, but in between, the Dragons’ first points came through hooker Zali Hopkins as they trailed 16-6 at the break.
The grind was well and truly on in the second half, with the only points coming to Dragons utility Tori Shipton to put the screws back on Brett Kimmorley’s players.
But the Tigers withstood the pressure thanks to great work by veteran forwards Kezie Apps and Sarah Togatuki up front, while winger turned fullback Caitlin Turnbull made 18 runs for 256 metres, seven tackle busts and a line-break.
In Sunday’s late match in Townsville, the Cowboys registered their fifth win of the season, beating the Bulldogs 22-6 and sending the Sharks out of the top four.
Halfback and skipper Kirra Dibb, in her second game back after being dropped by coach Ricky Henry, brought the form he’s been wanting by kicking a 40-30, scoring a try and setting up another, alongside three goals.
It took the Bulldogs 50 minutes to grab their first try to centre Moana Courtenay after losing chief playmaker Ash Quinlan (shoulder).
But they never gave up, with a classic try-saving cover tackle from fullback Andie Robinson on Cowboys winger Krystal Blackwell, before prop Holli Wheeler chased down outside back Francesca Goldthorp to stop another.
AAP
