The Sydney Roosters have marked their inaugural match at the Sydney Cricket Ground with an emphatic 28-12 victory over the Newcastle Knights to open their account in the 2021 NRLW Premiership.
Easts made history by taking the field at the historic venue for the very first time at NRLW level, channelling the legendary performances of past teams to claim a resounding six tries to two victory, compounded by the return of Captain Corban Baxter.
Brydie Parker and Isabelle Kelly got their names on the scoresheet for the first time this season, while rookie Keilee Joseph and Jessica Sergis scored their first tries in Red, White and Blue.
Central Coast junior Joeli Morris also made her NRLW debut coming in as 18th person, while Olivia Kernick bagged her third four-pointer in as many games with a clever charge-down.
Match: Roosters v Knights
Round 3 -
home Team
Roosters
5th Position
away Team
Knights
6th Position
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
It was a scrappy start on the sun-kissed SCG as both sides conceded early penalties, with Kernick sending the first warning shot as she put Sergis through with a well-timed offload.
While the Jillaroos and Origin centre was taken into touch, it was a positive sign of things to come for the Roosters.
And they would have the first say of the match as a well-timed cutout pass from Raecene McGregor saw Parker touch down in the corner, with Yasmin Meakes and Kelly combining to put their winger over for her first try of the season.
Despite the conversion attempt from the sideline being waved away, the Roosters took a handy 4-nil lead after ten minutes and now brimming with newfound confidence.
Parker Scores in the Corner
Baxter's presence exuded a calmness amongst the side - and it was evidenced after as halves pairing McGregor and Jocelyn Kelleher combined to put Parker through a gap, with the winger sending Kelly over for a try of her own.
Southwell's conversion saw the Roosters extend their lead to 10-nil after fifteen minutes played.
With the ensuing kick-off going dead, momentum swung 180 degrees, as the Roosters found themselves defending their line, but the famous Bondi Wall overcame the first challenge of the afternoon with aplomb.
Kelly Potent on the Left Edge
A break from Kirra Dibb added further pressure, but Sergis showed her experience and poise by allowing an attacking grubber kick to go dead - putting her side back on the front foot.
The Roosters continued to punch holes through the defence, but as fatigue crept in, so too did ill-discipline, and eventually the Knights struck back through Romy Teitzel.
With ten minutes left in the first half, the SCG scoreboard read 10-6 to the Roosters following the successful conversion.
Parker Gets Her Second
Not to be deterred, Easts continued to dominate field position, and following a spear tackle on Joseph, the Knights were down to twelve players as Ngatokotoru Arakua was sin-binned.
Despite the advantage of numbers, the Roosters were unable to extend their 10-6, with still plenty to be done in the following 35 minutes as they headed to the sheds.
The beginning of the second half mirrored the first, as the Roosters wouldn't have to wait long for Parker to bag her double following a left-side shift, with Zahara Temara playing a strong part with a nicely-timed offload.
Olivia Kernick Continues Her Tryscoring Run
And the Roosters went back-to-back as Kernick picked up her third consecutive try of the season with a charge down, diving on the ball to give her side a 12-point lead.
Newcastle looked to return serve with a burrowing try, and while the resolute defence of the Bondi Wall held the ball up, the weight of possession eventually saw the Knights hit back under the posts.
With 20 minutes left in the contest, the Roosters retained a 6-point lead - but they would save their best for last.
Keilee Joseph Slices Through for Her First NRLW Try
A kick out on the full from the restart handed Newcastle another opportunity on the line, but a scrambling effort from Sergis and Tufuga denied a certain try in one of the plays of the game.
A successful Captain's Challenge went in favour of the Knights, who overturned a knock-on call, but Parker's smarts saw the winger allow the bounce of the ball to go dead, giving her side a seven-tackle set.
Again, fatigue crept into the side's game - and while poor handling allowed the Novocastrians to set up camp, it was Sergis to the rescue with a clever one-on-one strip.
Sergis Puts the Nail in the Coffin
Looking to land the final blow and with time winding down, rookie forward Keilee Joseph stood up with a barnstorming to dive underneath the posts as the SCG crowd erupted. Temara's conversion extended the lead back to 12 points with just over five minutes remaining.
The Roosters weren't done yet though, as a dangerous kick from McGregor forced an error in the in-goal, and a charging Sergis put the icing on the cake with her first try for the Roosters as she dotted down in the corner.
Sydney Roosters 28 (Brydie Parker 2, Isabelle Kelly, Olivia Kernick, Keilee Joseph, Jess Sergis tries; Hannah Southwell, Zahara Temara goals) def Newcastle Knights 12 (Romy Teitzel, Annetta Nua'uausala tries; Kirra Dibb 2 goals)
