Summary
That’s a wrap for a massive day of sport. In the AFL, the Giants trashed the Swans, while the Eagles won in a thrilling and tight contest against the Magpies. Over in NRL, the Roosters put the Sharks in their place, and the Panthers smashed the Warriors. Australia beat South Africa in the Rugby Championships and in the NRL Women’s Premiership, the Warriors took out the Roosters. Check out our feature on that inaugural match, tomorrow morning.
Thanks for your company tonight - the finals fever will only build from here; and if this was anything to go off, we’ve got a massive September in store. Bring. It. On.
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The Eagle players are back in the locker room and singing their power ballad slash theme song. They play better than they sing.
Full time: Eagles 12.14 (86) beat Magpies 10.10 (70)
A thrilling qualifying finals has come to an end in style, a post-game goal from Redden sealing the Eagles’ 16 point win. Both teams fought furiously, providing the crowd and fans at home with an electrifying match of high-powered skill and speed. The Eagles have earned themselves a home preliminary final, while the Magpies will now play a sudden death match against the Giants.
The Eagles have the ball, and the seconds are counting down...Jack Redden kicks straight for another goal, but it doesn’t matter because the home team have won by 16 points. The crowd is going, to use a scientific term, bananas.
Two minutes to go...unless Collingwood pull off a miracle, the Eagles’ spectacular comeback will seal them this win.
Jack Darling has the ball again and is again kicking for goal, this time on a bend but it goes straight into a Collingwood player, blocking the potential goal.
Jack Darling has the ball and he kicks pretty much in front of the goal posts from just inside the 50 - it’s a goal! West Coast have opened up a 10-point lead with less than four minutes to go. Is Eddie still happy?
A fan observation
THIS GAME 🔥🔥 #AFLEaglesPies #AFLFinals pic.twitter.com/bimN4SDmn5
— Tas Mavridis (@TasMavridis) September 8, 2018
A goal to the Eagles! Lewis Jetta has given the Eagles a four-point lead, with 5.18 minutes to go.
Rioli is on the ground, bleeding, appears there was a clash between him and Collingwood’s Greenwood. Both have been taken off the ground because of the blood rule.
We’re about to reach the last five minutes of the game and it’s still one point between the Eagles and Magpies. The prize is a home preliminary final.
Why doesn’t my team play like this?
Now it’s just one point between them, after a behind from the Eagles. One point!
Magpies are now up by two points, following a straight kick to goal from Jordan De Goey. Eddie McGuire sure looks happy.
Collingwood is trailing by four points, 67 to 63. The play is getting more desperate, more ferocious, as both sides fight for a win.
The countdown is now on to the end of what has been a thrilling game of footy. Ten minutes to go.
Kennedy has surely just scored the perfect mark, turning a fast slide into a pocket for the ball to fall into.
The Eagles are just in front, 66 to 63. This is anyone’s game, but it will most likely be either the Eagles or the Magpies.
The Eagles almost had another goal, with some fast, furious but sloppy play just in front of the posts, but Collingwood managed to take back control and get the ball away.
The mojo is back! A lovely bit of play between the Eagles has brought them a goal, thanks to Jack Darling. The synergy has gone up a big notch and they look to be back in control.
Umpires have had a talk over whether a kick from the Eagles immediately in front of the goal posts is a goal or a behind - the ball originally hit the post...and the decision is in, and it’s a behind. The crowd are not happy.
Kennedy has scored the ball and the crowd is roaring - this is their chance to turn things around. Kennedy kicks from the tight pocket just outside the 50 and it’s a goal!
AFL: the last quarter has just kicked off - can the Magpies hold on for a fairytale win, or will the Eagles find their mojo?
Full-time: Australia 23-18 South Africa
The third quarter had a significantly lower goal rate but Collingwood dominated once again, answering questions that West Coast didn’t even ask. The fourth quarter kicks off in a few moments.
Three-quarter time: Eagles 7.11 (53) is trailing the Magpies 9.9 (63)
A fan observation
This has been a cracker of a game, despite the conditions.....#AFLFinals2018 #AFLeaglespies pic.twitter.com/R0jZNQGXFS
— Wayne Griffin (@grifology70) September 8, 2018
A free kick to Collingwood’s Josh Thomas has resulted in a kick from the inside 50
Josh Kennedy has brought some much-needed delight to the Eagles, kicking a tight goal from the inside 50.
Collingwood defense are not letting up, with 20 tackles to 14. Taylor Adams has finally brought some fresh numbers to the score, kicking a goal for the Magpies. All that work has finally paid off.
A fan’s observation
Best defensive Eagles player...A. Post #AFLEaglesPies
— Annette Lynch (@MrsLynch2U) September 8, 2018
The pace of the game has kept up, but the scoring has slowed right down. Collingwood are doing well on keeping the pressure on the Eagles, keeping the ball out of their section
Exclusive: Eagles coaching team figuring out how they managed to lose their dominate lead from the first quarter
Collingwood are bringing strong, precision kicking to this quarter, but the Eagles are leading with marks
Another bird joke?
What kind of bird doesn’t need a comb?
A bald eagle.
AFL: A superb play between Kennedy and Rioli has just failed to result in a goal for the Eagles
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Full time: Roosters (21) beat the Sharks (12)
Sudden death final next week, then the grand final
NRL update:
Shark supporters have thrown something else in - the towel @BuzzRothfield #NRLFINALS #NRLRoostersSharks @NRLFootyShow @AndrewVossy #nrl360 @9_Moley @TheNRLLurker
— StormSerge (@stormserge1999) September 8, 2018
AFL: The second half of the game is about the start. The furious speed of the second quarter favoured Collingwood but if West Coast wants to take control again, they need to slow it down. Can they do it?
NRL: Cooper Cronk has kicked field goal, extending the Rooster’s lead over the sharks, 19 to 12.
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There’s currently a bit of biff on Twitter over whether Eagle fans boo too much.
Just googled the word ‘boo’#AFLEaglesPies pic.twitter.com/oCFQ0tYmMt
— рАਹомį (@Kojonup) September 8, 2018
Fun Fact: Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom is not related to Harry Potter’s Neville Longbottom
NRL: Let’s take a look at the NRL, which has the Rooster’s leading the Sharks 18 to 12. Fun fact - if a rooster and shark were to meet in real life, it’s extremely unlikely that a rooster would beat a shark.
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Second Quarter: Eagles 6.7 (43) trailing Mapgies 7.4 (46)
This quarter has delivered thrills and a near-consistent supply of goals from both sides. Collingwood have made up for their slow start in the first quarter and have delivered a slim lead over the Eagles. Despite the furious spate of goals from the Magpies, their kicking is off, at 49%, compared to the Eagles’ 64%.
Collingwood rookie Jaidyn Stephenson has scored from the jungle of missed opportunities, making up for his behind just a few minutes ago.
Yet another sloppy contest for the ball, with the seemingly Teflon-coasted Sheridan managing to escape players’ hands...
A furious contest for the ball has the crowd at Optus Stadium screaming, with both teams slipping around before Rioli grabs the ball and just casually kicks short through the goal posts, giving the Eagles the upper hand
Two goals in the last couple of minutes! This quarter is moving so fast that I’m developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome trying to keep up with the typing. Goals from Dom Sheed (Eagles), followed quickly by Brody Mihocek (Magpies).
I know this will shock everyone reading this, but fans on Twitter are complaining about the umpires.
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That goal was answered almost immediately with a near-perfect kick from the Magpies’ Jordan De Goey. it’s a tight race, with the Pies leading 33 to 29 in the second quarter.
A fast and furious goal from the Eagles’ Jamie Cripps brings the Eagles back to life in this quarter. The crowd are chanting without mercy.
The Eagles’ Rioli had a shot at shot and kicked cleanly but it didn’t quite get there, scoring just a point instead.
It’s time for a bird joke:
What do you call a sad bird?
A bluebird.
Is this the same game? The Eagles have lost their domination from the first quarter, their precision kicking way, and the Magpies are now leading with contested possessions. Yet another goal to Collingwood, from Taylor Adams.
Back-to-back goals for Collingwood, this one from Taylor Adams
Half-time: Australia 17-18 South Africa
Collingwood’s Brodie Mihocek has kicked a goal, signalling a fightback from the pies...
AFL: A messy fumble for the ball has resulted in a slow start to the second quarter for both sides
First Quarter: Eagles 3.3 (21) lead the Magpies 1.3 (9)
The Eagles have set themselves up strongly for the next quarter thanks to strong and precise kicking, plus a full stadium of (very) loud supporters.
NRL: Fast moving game over in Sydney, the Roosters are already up 10 to the Sharks 6
Fans from both sides are really feeling the fact the Magpie’s first goal cam from Varcoe, given his family tragedy this week
That's for Maggie!!! Well done Trav #FOREVER #AFLFinals #AFLEaglesPies
— Josh LODESTAR (@gobbles21) September 8, 2018
The Eagles’ Brad Sheppard is out with a suspected hamstring injury.
Collingwood is now really on the board with its first goal, thanks to Travis Varcoe.
Looked like Ryan would have a shot at goal number 3 but a sloppy handball put the ball into Magpie territory.
What explains the Eagles strong start to the game? Fancy foot work. More preciously, it is precision kicking, leading the Mapgies 73 per cent by foot compared to 52 per cent.
Ryan, with goal number two!
AFL: Eagles’ Liam Ryan has scored a rather spectacular goal, pushing the team’s lead over the Magpies 14 to 2 in the first eight minutes
NRL: The Sharks and Roosters are battling it out in Sydney, and we already have an injury reported: the Sharks’ Wade Graham has been taken off the field with a suspected ACL injury.
First goal is to West Coast.
Before the game started, one minute of silence was observed for Margaret Varcoe, sister of Travis Varcoe, who tragically died from injuries sustained while playing in the Adelaide Footy League last week. All players are wearing black armbands.
And now the Eagles have a single point, too!
Both sides are unexpected September contenders, having started both their respective seasons off slowly. It’s an especially big turnaround for the Magpies and coach Nathan Buckley, who finished 13th last year. Buckley’s job was on the line, but he’s resurrected the team with remarkable results.
The first score is on the board and it’s a point to Collingwood
No late changes to either side. The Eagles welcome back Lewis Jetta and Josh Kennedy, while the Magpies bring in Jeremy Howe, Tyson Goldsack and Adam Treloar. Kennedy is favourite to score the first goal, according to a betting company.
The Magpies and the Eagles have a formidable rivalry, which is included in their most recent bouts, which have been high-scoring and reasonably close. In Round 17, West Coast thoroughly beat Collingwood 102 to 62, but their previous meeting, in Round 18 last year was much closer and resulted in a narrow win for the Magpies, 93 to 85.
Collingwood have won the toss and we’re about to kick off. Optus Stadium is reportedly sold out
A betting company has the Eagles favourite to win at $1.70, compared to the Magpies at $2.20. But given that September is Magpie swooping season, it’s very possible for Collingwood to score an upset. Either way, be wary of Magpies when you walk through parks, okay?
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The Eagles have just ran out onto the ground, and I’ve never realised before how much their theme song sounds like an 80s power ballad.
Something to think about as we wait for kick-off...
A Rioli has never lost his first AFL/VFL final.
— Steve Allen (@ScubaStv) September 8, 2018
Maurice, Dean, Cyril and Daniel combine for 22 wins and 13 losses.#AFLFinals #AFLEaglesPies 🦅⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/uKtCn2ZA8w
Rugby Championships: Richard Parkin is looking after tonight’s game between Australia and South Africa - check out the live blog
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Full Time: Warriors (12) lose to Panthers (27)
It’s all over for the Warriors, with the Penrith Panthers off to the semi-final. It will be a huge disappointed for the New Zealand team, which started off strongly today, at one point leading Panthers 12 to 2. Where did it all go wrong? The Panthers dominated the ball for the rest of the match, with the Warriors not scoring again.
NRL: This sums up the game pretty well
Don’t think it matters who the coach is Maloney is the man #NRLPanthersWarriors
— ExHullKiwi (@HullKiwi) September 8, 2018
NRL: About five minutes to go and the Warriors are hanging on for dear life. Penrith is now 27 to 12
NRL: Warrior fans have certainly come out to play, but it just isn’t going their way tonight
Let’s have a look at the NRL: Penrith are absolutely living up to the pre-game hype and have now served up a formidable lead, 25 to 12 against the Warriors
Given that it’s the Battle of the Birds, you’ll have to forgive me if I dabble in a few bird jokes tonight...
Thanks Geoff, and hello everyone, Alana Schetzer here to be your guide to this evening’s sports. The big game is the last qualifying AFL final, between Collingwood and West Coast. Whoever loses will face an in-form Giants, who blasted the Swans out of the finals this afternoon.
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The Panthers are pressing after another handling error from the Warriors. The rugby union international and the other AFL final are coming up later. That’s it for me - Geoff Lemon out, and I’ll leave you in the capable hands of amateur ornithologist Alana Schetzer. Goodnight.
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42 mins: We’re back underway in the NRL match, and James Maloney has been absolutely steamrolled by Issac Luke. Maloney received a hospital pass on the last tackle, put one hand up to reel it in, and was nailed in his ribcage and dumped on his back with brutal force. That was tough. The Warriors win the penalty for offside. It’s still Penrith 18-12 Warriors.
Full time: Sydney 4.6 (30) lose to GWS 10.19 (79)
And the most fun team song in the AFL comes over the speakers, with its sousaphone bass line and its Russian choir style. The Giants are into week two of the finals. Sydney: gone. Geelong: gone. Melbourne will play Hawthorn next week, and GWS will play the winner of Collingwood and West Coast, which is up shortly.
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4th quarter, 1 minute remaining: Papley adds another for the Swans, scrambling the ball away from Davis and running away from him with pace to goal on the run. The margin is 48 points, 30 plays 78. And Sydney have avoided their worst score in a final, but have made their worst score at the SCG.
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4th quarter, 3 minutes remaining: a little consolation for the Swans as Luke Parker is able to run onto a loose ball and goal from close range. Who am I kidding, there’s no consolation in that. It just means you can’t say that they didn’t score a goal after quarter time. It’s 24 plays 78 after Ward adds another behind for GWS. 54 points the difference.
4th quarter, 5 minutes remaining: In the meantime, the Giants have finally started smashing up the Swans. Toby Greene started off the fourth quarter with a goal, which was the final blow as far as any hope of a comeback was concerned. Then Himmelberg had a couple of shots but missed, before Callan Ward and Jeremy Cameron each kicked a goal. Sydney still haven’t added to their two goals from the first quarter. Embarrassing stuff. The margin is 59 points.
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Half time: Panthers 18-12 Warriors
Warriors win a penalty going forward with two minutes on the clock. The clock pauses for some running repairs to Harawira-Naera, who’s bleeding from the nose after a whack. That soaks up a couple of minutes and gives the Panthers time for a breather. Finally the Warriors are allowed to get underway. A couple of attempts are held up close to the line, a high ball bounces of Maumalo and is seized by Cleary, and it’s a Panther penalty with zero seconds on the clock. End of the half, and a quality one it’s been.
38 mins: The Panthers go deep into attack with their kick, and bring down the ball-carrier thanks to a couple of marauders. The Warriors are looking a bit short of breath themselves. A skewed kick goes into touch and leads to a Panthers scrums feed on the 20. They wrestle their way to the halfway, Cleary launches a monster that would have imperilled low-flying aircraft, Maumalo drops the attempted take for the Warriors, but is reprieved by a penalty for offside against Penrith.
28 mins: Roger Tuivasa-Scheck, the Warriors captain, is gone. Big injury here. His ankle problem has recurred and he’s been lifted from the field by the trainers, unable to even put weight on that foot. And as if that wasn’t enough of a blow, Nathan Cleary near the try line plays the ball to Yeo, who goes further right to Peachey, who gets airborne as he clears the line near the corner. Three in a row for the Panthers, though the conversion hangs wide from the sideline. It’s 18-12 to Penrith.
25 mins: We’re better off joining the Panthers and the Warriors, because it’s 14-12 to Penrith at a different stadium in Sydney. The Warriors scored the first couple of tries (Issac Luke in the 8th, David Fusitu’a in the 13th), then the Panthers have hit back with two of their own, with Tyrone Peachey over in the 20th and James Maloney getting played in with a good pass just as I flicked channels. All the tries have been converted.
Three-quarter time: Sydney 2.6 (18) trail GWS 6.10 (46)
Sydney’s cooked, is the short version. Just like Geelong last night: can’t hit a target, can’t find a score, can’t handle the pressure from the other team that’s stopping them from doing either.
3rd quarter, 3 minutes remaining: Is that the sealer, with more than a quarter to go? Probably. Jeremy Cameron gets decent position in a pack, and though Rory Lobbe had a lot of his hands on a lot of the ball from behind, Cameron in front spot is awarded the mark as he comes away with it in his hands. He slots the goal from straight in front. It’s 18 plays 53 now, a difference of 35 points.
3rd quarter, 5 minutes remaining: Brett Deledio, who has missed so many Giants games with injury the last couple of years, is newly protected by his amulet of a beard. He launches a long shot at goal from outside 50, but misses. There’s a 50-metre penalty against GWS for infringing on the protected area as the Swans try o clear defence. That allows Franklin to finally get a clean run at the ball from inside his 50, and he marks on the lead. But the shot at goal from 40 is horribly askew to the right, shanked. Sums up Sydney’s night. It’s 18-48 in favour of GWS.
3rd quarter, 11 minutes remaining: Toby Greene and Himmelberg nearly set up a goal for GWS, but Sydney manage to clear, finally find some space, and get it forward. Papley picks up the spill, should snap the goal under pressure, but misses across the face from 20 out. The ball rebounds down the other end again, where again it’s Greene who is prominent up forward. Kicked one in the first quarter, has missed a couple of others, but this time marks on 50 and drills the goal. It’s 26 points the lead now, and a long way back in this kind of low-scoring game.
Right then, the Warriors club is back in action, this time against the Penrith Panthers in the men’s NRL final at Sydney’s Olympic stadium. Nathan Cleary has kicked a penalty for the Panthers to take them 2-0 up. It’s 9 minutes in.
3rd quarter, 15 minutes remaining: It really is the Phil Davis Show today. Dr Phil Davis? He’s still getting the better of Buddy several minutes into the third quarter, intercepting a couple more forward thrusts and repelling them. I know there are other players for Sydney, but tonight it doesn’t exactly look like it. They’re not able to make an impact with the ball in hand, and that’s reflected in a grand total of two goals in a half. The ball comes into the GWS fifty, but Cameron’s attempted mark is deemed a half volley. More ball-ups inside 50, Himmelberg finally runs onto a loose ball... and runs around to snap the goal on his right! That’ll really hurt the Swans. It’s 16-37 to the Giants now.
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The highlight of my day so far has been the half-time highlights package being played to the backing track of Sandstorm by Darude. The year 1999 is only ever a few keystrokes away.
Half time: Sydney 2.4 (16) trail GWS 4.7 (31)
Harry Himmelberg in the forward pocket crashes to ground like a burning zeppelin, but bounces back up again after Aliir Aliir leaps over his prone body, which allows Himmelberg to grab the loose ball and slot an excellent solo-effort goal to boost the Giants’ lead before half time. The TV broadcast has an interview with Phil Davis briefly about playing on Franklin: “He’s a fucking great player. Sorry.” Davis holds his composure though, finishing the interview as coolly as he’s played today.
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2nd quarter, 5 minutes remaining: It’s raining now at the SCG. The Giants are playing fiercely in defence. Buddy Franklin picks up in the pocket and finds Cunningham 50 out with a left-foot chip, but Cunningham isn’t confident in the distance and when he tries to pass, the Giants swarm the attempted mark. They clear from 50, there are a couple of Swans on the wing who should mark and send it back, but a desperate spoil from a late-arriving Giant sends the ball out of bounds. Then when it comes back inside 50 a moment later, Phil Davis wears Franklin like a glove to the boundary, sees him out of the field of play, Davis keeps his feet, then doubles back to tackle Ben Ronke before he can dispose of the tap-back. Stunning play from the defender.
Whose line was this on the telly? “Oliver Florent, turned 20 this year. He’s no longer a Florent teen.” Very good. Ditto the ball being kicked into “a nest of Swans.” Lachie Whitfield kicks a point to give GWS the lead, then Matt de Boer roves the pack from a throw-in to snap a goal from the left forward pocket. It’s 16-23 to the Giants.
The Giants’ prime mover Josh Kelly is off the field with what looks a fairly serious ankle injury sustained late in the first quarter. No one scores for the first ten minutes or so of the second quarter, with some wasteful disposals from the Giants going forward. When the Swans get it going their way, Tom Papley doesn’t waste his chance and slots a goal on the run. The Giants swing down the other end and Swans defender McVeigh concedes a behind. Scores are level at 16 apiece.
Quarter time: Sydney Swans 1.4 (10) trail GWS Giants 2.3 (15)
It’s slippery and tricky out there. Lots of falling over, lots of errant passes straight to the opposition, and a few missed chances near goal by two teams who are much better than that. So, it’s basically the Melbourne-Geelong game from last night on repeat. Is it the pressure and psychology of finals football? Commentators with no empirical evidence say yes.
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Righto, we’re over to the Sydney Swans versus the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the second elimination final in the AFL. The name tells it all - the winner stays in the finals, the loser goes home. Lucky they’re both from Sydney so that reduces the travel time. It’s the first quarter, eight minutes left, and Sydney had the lead before a couple of goals to the Giants flipped that around. It’s 8-13 in favour of GWS at this stage.
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Apii Nicholls was outstanding for the Warriors, with speed and precision. So was Nita Maynard for the Roosters. Krystal Rota was also huge for the Warriors, with run and with sometimes brutal defence. A great start to the new women’s NRL competition.
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Warriors win 4-10 over the Sydney Roosters!
History is written. The first NRLW match ends in a win for the Warriors. They smashed the Roosters up early, scored twice in the first half, got their lead out to 10 points, then defended hard and found the lead was enough. The Roosters were much better in the second half, attacked consistently, but the lack of match time together showed as their combinations sometimes didn’t work out, especially with the cohesion between the backs. Too many incomplete sets, too many fumbles, and that cost them.
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59 min: The Warriors get the ball back where they want it, into their attacking territory, but when it comes back Caldwell steams back past halfway. They string some passes together, and opt to run rather than kick on last tackle, but that only lasts until Sarah Togatuki also fumbles a bullet pass coming flat at her.
The Warriors run the ball up and exhaust their tackle count. There’s a minute left. Studdon and Kelly are heavily involved, but Kelly takes a huge hit that was head-high, and she’s in trouble. On her hands and knees as the trainers come out.
56 min: Some big tackles from the Roosters in attack, but the Warriors are hanging in their. They’re starting to tire, but they have the lead, they just need to gain territory. Nicholls has been a star, but she’s suddenly struck with cramp as she tries to pick up the ball. It reaches halfway but the Warriors surrender it with a penalty. The Roosters push back up close to the try line in the right corner, but then lose ground with the pass, and Isabelle Kelly eventually fumbles, then kicks the ball away and yells in frustration at turning over possession.
51 min: A penalty for the Warriors, 22 out from their own goal. They charge it to the centre, then chance their arms (or feet) with a kick forward. Some good defence then locks the first couple of tackles inside the Roosters’ defensive 20. Finally the Chooks get to 30, then past halfway as Latu buts in a steam-engine run straight through the defenders. Maynard to O’Mealey, who delays the pass nicely but the gap doesn’t quite open up on the wing.
48 min: Rota gets another run that dodges about three attempted tackles, then follows up with a big tackle near the try line after the Warriors’ kick forward falls into the Roosters’ possession. Sydney eventually kick upfield and Nicholls runs it back up to the centre. A forward pass by the Warriors at the centre after some back and forth gives up possession. Walton gets a good run, Studdon’s pass is astray but is picked up, there’s a kick forward, and Nicholls leaps on it to defuse the bomb for the Warriors. It’s still 4-10 in favour of the Warriors.
41 min: Straight down the other end, and it’s Nicholls again who charges wide to the left with another incisive run, and again is held up, literally in the air, just short of the line. The kick across goal looking for a catch is instead held by the Roosters, and they restart from their defensive 20. A couple of strong runs up the field take them to attacking 20. Then there’s a penalty against the Warriors and Studdon kicks it into touch. The Roosters go all the way from the right of goal to the left, only a few metres out the whole way, but just can’t break the final line of defence. Then a handling error finally gives the ball up.
Lorina Papali’i is on the field now for the Warriors.
37 min: The Roosters kick off and run hard, Maynard showing quick hands out of dummy half. Eventually the kick heads for touch, and Hilda Mariu lets it go so the Warriors get a scrum feed. They push into their attacking half, then it’s Nicholls! And Nicholls! And still Nicholls! That was a mazy, meandering, Maradona run, sidestepping about eight defenders at different stages, getting within a couple of metres of the line, but then she’s brought down. And then in the inverse, Maynard realises that her markers are asleep, and runs the ball herself out of dummy half through a big gap and gains half the field back. What a couple of runs, as the Roosters push back towards their goal line. Maynard rolls the ball back to spread the pass, Stowers charges back in from the right to the centre, but again is held up just short of the line!
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Half time - Roosters 4-10 Warriors
The air-raid siren sounds, and that’s the half. The Warriors dominated it with speed and strength, but the Roosters started to find their touch in the last few minutes, with some damaging runs eventually getting them on the board. It will be interesting to see whether fitness is a factor in the second half, if either team starts to flag. It’s been a cracker of a contest so far, and there’s only a converted try in it.
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Try! Roosters 4-10 Warriors (Kelly)
27 min: Tazmin Gray knocks on to cost the Roosters possession, they can’t complete a set of six at the moment, which means there’s no pressure on the Warriors. Rota for the Warriors runs about ten yards with three defenders hanging off her. Nicholls puts in another scything runs, fast through the line, but on the next phase she fumbles a pass and gives up possession to the Roosters via a scrum feed.
The halves are 30 minutes in the women’s game, so we’ve got six minutes to go as the Roosters make some substitutions. Maynard gets a penalty, plays to herself, then moves it wide to Kelly on the left sideline. Sarina Clark makes the tackle, but then there’s another penalty for the Roosters. They attack the line, Chloe Caldwell is nearly over, but is literally lifted up and dumped backwards by Krystal Rota! Savage defence, that was sheer commitment. The ball remains with the Roosters, they’re besieging the goal line. Stowards nearly stretches over but pulls the ball back when she realises she’s short.
The ball comes to the centre, then Isabelle Kelly runs in from the left, a brilliant run across the face of goal, then finds an angle, bursts through two tackles, and clears the line with a brilliant stretch! The TMO checks the tape for a possible obstruction, but gives the green light for a try. What an individual effort, to the right of the posts. Maddie Studdon misses the kick, but the Roosters are on the board.
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Try! Roosters 0-10 Warriors (Gago)
17 min: The Warriors are over for their second! Right under the posts this time. Laura Mariu provided the offload, and the lock Luisa Gago crashes over. Nicholls has a much easier kick this time for the conversion and duly slots it. The Roosters struggling to contain the speed or power of the Kiwi team.
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14 min: Isabelle Kelly gets a break to 30 out from her own goal, then wins a penalty. Shontelle Stowers carries the ball to the 20 metre line before being brought down. They get to within a couple of metres but are driven back with a huge tackle. Lavina O’Mealey slips as she looks to pass, then offloads slickly with one hand while flat on the ground. They lose the ball after a high kick to the corner. Annetta Nuuausala smashed about three Roosters in that defensive passage, the big prop, and she’s damaged herself in the process, limping off with a sore knee. It’s still 0-4 Warriors.
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12 min: The Warriors forwards are causing all sorts of problems for the Roosters. Too strong, too much muscle, crashing into defenders. Rota through the middle, the Warriors get another six after the Roosters touch the ball, Smalley is nearly over for the try, but she fumbles the ball in a severe tackle and the Roosters are reprieved with a scrum feed, which they win.
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First try in the league! Roosters 0-4 Warriors (Mariu)
8 mins: Hilda Mariu is over in the corner. Krystal Rota runs it, passes right to Sarina Clark, then flicks it wide to Mariu right on the sideline. The winger has the composure to plant the ball in the corner as she’s tackled out, and the bunker confirms it’s a try. Eight minutes in, and they’re on the board. Apii Nicholls falls short with the conversion attempt from the sideline. It’s 0-4 to the Warriors.
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Women's NRL is underway
The competition and the match both. The Warriors do all the attacking early, with a couple of sets driving them close to the line, but the final kick eludes a chaser. The Roosters put a couple of good runs together, but Smalley and Vailea for the Warriors are brutal in the tackle.
Preamble
Hello all. Another big day of sport, as it always is on Sportwatch. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and the Warriors and Roosters are about to kick off the inaugural NRL Women’s competition match. The sub-story of that game is that Lorena Papali’i is going to debut for the Warriors at the age of 41, while her son Isaiah will play his first final for the Warriors men’s team later today. We’ll have the big Sydney v Sydney AFL final later in the afternoon before getting back over to that men’s final in the NRL.
Then in the evening, the Wallabies tackle the Springboks in the rugby union, and West Coast take on Collingwood in the other AFL final. Lots riding on every game today.
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