Roosters hold off Knights in clash of NRLW heavyweights

Ed Jackson |

The Sydney Roosters have held on for a thrilling win over the fast-finishing Newcastle.
The Sydney Roosters have held on for a thrilling win over the fast-finishing Newcastle.

The Sydney Roosters have held off a determined Newcastle in an NRLW heavyweight bout, emerging with a hard-fought 12-10 win.

Up 12-0 at halftime against an injury-hit Knights line-up, the Roosters made it two-from-two to start the season with the narrow two-point victory  at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

There was no shame in defeat for a brave Knights outfit, who were the better team for much of the second half but only had Olivia Higgins’ 47th-minute try to show for their efforts, until Mercedez Taulelei-Siala’s 67th-minute four-pointer gave them hope.

A late try by Mercedez Taulelei-Siala kept the Knights in the game.
A late try by Mercedez Taulelei-Siala kept the Knights in the game. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)

Needing to convert from out wide to level the scores, Kirra Dibb’s conversion was just off target, allowing the Roosters to see out the remaining two minutes.

Jessica Sergis, who scored the opening try of the match and ran down Shanice Parker in the second-half when the Newcastle winger looked to be in the clear, was a standout for the Roosters.

Fellow NSW and Australian representative Olivia Kernick scored the Roosters’ other try in the 24th minute, which would ultimately prove the match-winner.

Jessica Sergis
Jessica Sergis was sensational for the Roosters, scoring a try and making a game-saving tackle. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)

Returning star Dibb’s kicking game was hugely influential for the Knights, the half often at the heart of everything for a team missing several players, including the suspended Georgia Roche and injured fullback Lilly-Ann White.

Lucy Spain, on NRLW debut in place of White, was one of three Knights players who had to undergo a HIA, but she passed, along with teammates Sienna Yeo and Fane Finau.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Gold Coast star Jaime Chapman was the standout as the Titans racked up an impressive 36-10 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Accor Stadium.

Jaime Chapman
Jaime Chapman scored four tries in the Titans’ impressive win over the Bulldogs. (HANDOUT/NRL PHOTOS)

Chapman scored four tries and set up another as the Titans ran in the highest score in their NRLW history to keep the Bulldogs winless after two rounds.

There was also an injury concern for the home team, with Pauline Suli-Ruka coming off after hurting her left elbow midway through the second half.

In Townsville, Faythe Manera made the most of a late inclusion in West Tigers’ starting line-up as she notched a hat-trick in the visitors’ 30-18 win over the Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

Faythe Manera of the Tigers celebrates with teammates after a try
Faythe Manera scored a hat-trick in Wests Tigers’ win over the Cowboys in Townsville. (HANDOUT/NRL PHOTOS)

The win means the Tigers, who only won one game last season, have already eclipsed that tally with back-to-back victories to start this campaign, ahead of next weekend’s trip to take on defending premiers Brisbane.

Belted in last weekend’s opening round by the Broncos, the Cowboys battled hard throughout, with Francesca Goldthorp scoring a double, but they were never able to get close enough on the scoreboard to really worry the Tigers. 

AAP