An injury-ravaged Dragons outfit was bested by the Sharks 20-6 in an Indigenous Round local derby at Jubilee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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Local juniors Tori Shipton and Tahlia O’Brien were presented their jerseys at Friday's captains run ahead of their NRLW debuts.
The duo came through the grades together at the Steelers, having helped their Tarsha Gale Cup side to a Preliminary Final berth earlier this year, before being a part of NSW’s successful Under 19s Women’s State of Origin squad.
The clash also marked Maddie Studdon’s first outing as a Dragon since the 2019 season, with the veteran five-eighth called up from Illawarra’s Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership side to help cover the side’s long list of absences.
Match: Dragons v Sharks
Round 6 -
home Team
Dragons
10th Position
away Team
Sharks
5th Position
Venue: Jubilee Stadium, Sydney
The contest’s first points belonged to the Sharks with fullback Emma Verran speeding over off a right-side sweep after the visitors enjoyed an early territorial advantage to make it 4-0.
They extended their lead the next set through Georgia Ravics who went up to take in a Chantay Kiria-Ratu kick and dive over close to the same blade of grass as Verran, as the advantage grew beyond a converted try.
Jacinta Carter was placed on report for a high shot soon after giving the hosts their first chance on the attack, before Carter left the contest for a HIA – which she passed – several plays later as the first wave of showers descended upon Jubilee.
Cassie Staples went over for the visiting side off a last-tackle Verran cut-out to make it 12-0 with Kiria-Ratu’s goal-kicking radar off in the early goings.
Madi Mulhall was placed on report for the Dragons the following set for a high shot, but they were able to defend their line off it.
Both Shipton and O’Brien were inserted into the action 22 minutes in for their first taste of NRLW action, much to the delight of the Kogarah faithful.
Sharks centre Annessa Biddle was binned for a dangerous tackle on Studdon 10 minutes short of the break.
Jamilee McGregor was taken from the field for a HIA off the back of another high shot the next play, before Shenai Lendill went close to finding points for the hosts off a Studdon kick, only to have bobbled the ball late.
Tyra Ekepati, in her first game at fullback, produced a stupendous, try-saving tackle on Ravics with 15 minutes to play to keep her side’s faint hopes alive.
The Sharks were able to go a long way towards sealing it in their next set, with Staples finishing off a long-winded sequence, which included a pair of late offloads to nab her second of the afternoon and make it 16-0.
The hosts got on the board late with Maria Paseka, in just her second NRLW appearance, bursting through from her own side of half-way and burning the cover to nab her first NRLW try in brilliant fashion.
NRLW Match Highlights: Indigenous Round v Sharks
Studdon knocked over the conversion to cut the deficit back to 16-6 with six minutes left.
The Dragons threatened to go back-to-back the following set through Ella Koster off a bouncing Zali Hopkins bomb, only for the officials to rule a forward tap-on in contest.
Ravics scored her second for the Sharks late to seal the win for the visitors in the NRLW’s inaugural Indigenous Round.
