There were a couple of upsets over the weekend which are making this NRLW season quite unpredictable.
We also had some new players enter the competition, with New Zealand rugby sevens gold medallist Stacey Waaka featuring for the Brisbane Broncos and Tyla King running out for St George Illawarra.
The Cronulla Sharks made it three in a row with an impressive win over the Canberra Raiders, the Broncos ignited their season with a 44-4 point win over the Gold Coast Titans and the Dragons delivered Tamika Upton her first loss ever at McDonald Jones Stadium with an 18-10 win over her Newcastle Knights.
Here are your talking points for Round 3.
The Sharks have announced themselves
Before the season, I had the Sharks being one of the teams challenging for the top four but they have had an impressive start to the season winning their first three matches.
Their win against the high-flying Raiders on Saturday was their best of the season so far, coming from 12-0 down to eventually win the game 24-12.
There were some great individual efforts. Tiana Penitani never gave up and was rewarded with a try in the 46th centre. Annessa Biddle continues her great form from season 2023 and scored from a scrum win in the 54th minute.
But the day really belonged to Nakia Davis-Welsh who scored the match-winning try. Davis-Welsh played for the Parramatta Eels last season after time away from the game since 2017 to give birth to her two children. It’s a remarkable return for a woman who has played footy at the highest levels.
Upsets galore continued
I was left lost for words after the Broncos’ thrashing of the Titans. The Titans were my pick for the premiership at the start of the year but were left reeling by a relentless Broncos attack.
Only a fool writes off a team featuring Ali Brigginshaw (who had two try assists), but the return of Gayle Broughton made a significant difference to the Broncos, particularly in attack.
Ali Brigginshaw. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Mele Hufunga was back to her best also with four tries, showing her power but also her speed.
My focus now shifts to the Titans and their match next week against the Cowboys. It will be a big week for Karyn Murphy to help turn the mentality of her squad around after such a big loss.
The Dragons post their first win
It was a weekend of upsets, with the St George Illawarra Dragons off the mark with a win over the Newcastle Knights.
We were treated to a dominant display by some of the brightest stars in the game. Tamika Upton scored the Knights’ first try, then Tegan Berry also did the same for the Dragons, burning the opposition down the right.
It’s certainly not panic stations for the Knights. They lost Caitlan Johnston-Green before the game and several players during the game including Abigail Roache and Hannah Southwell. With the game tied at half-time, the Knights struggled to match it physically with the Dragons in the second half.
Quick hits
-Elsie Albert made an impressive 215 metres for the Eels.
-The Broncos win over the Titans was their biggest-ever NRLW win and it was also the Titans’ biggest NRLW loss.
-Elli Johnston has become a try-scoring machine. She has now scored seven tries in her last eight NRLW games.
-Another player who loves a try is Madison Bartlett, who has now scored seven tries in the Raiders’ last five home games. Her total across her NRLW career is 22 tries.
-Gosford continues to be a happy hunting ground for the Roosters who have won all three games that they have played there.
-Millie Elliot was a stand out for the Roosters, running for 202 metres and for the Tigers Leianne Tufuga and Rikeya Horne combined for 324 metres.
Onto the next
Next weekend will almost mark the halfway point of the competition so for some teams it really is do or die.
I’m looking forward to watching the match between the Broncos and the Raiders, but the match of the round will be between the Sharks and the Knights. That game will be a good opportunity for the Sharks to see how they match up against the competition heavyweights and the Knights will be looking to bounce back after their loss to the Dragons.
The Tigers will also be searching for their first win over the season against the Eels and will be sweating on injury news for Kezie Apps and Harmony Crichton.