The Sydney Roosters aimed to qualify for their third consecutive NRLW Grand Final as they took on the Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium – here’s what we took from the match.
Bremner Return Boosts Roosters Backline
After sitting out last week’s match against the Gold Coast Titans, star fullback Samantha Bremner returned for the Tricolours in their semi-final.
She controlled the back stoutly, having a total of 13 runs with the football and amassing 159 running metres, 72 of which came from kick returns.
Bremner often looked to be the Roosters’ most dangerous player the on attack, breaking eight tackles and splitting the defensive line twice.
Easts Fight Hard, But Errors Prove Costly
After finding success in last year’s semi-final against the Brisbane Broncos, Easts aimed to once again qualify for the NRLW Grand Final.
They put in a huge effort, totalling almost 1500 run metres with over 500 of those coming after contact. They ran hard on attack, averaging almost 50 metres per set and busting 43 tackles, as well as breaking the line five times.
Togatuki Crashes Over Late
Despite their best efforts, a completion rate of 56% and an error count of thirteen prevented the Roosters from gaining momentum, resulting in their eventual defeat at the hands of Parramatta.
Back Rowers Fire in Grand Final Qualifier
The Roosters’ second row pairing of Shaniah Power and Olivia Kernick were in fine form, putting in a massive effort to help their team through the semi-final.
Power opened the scoring for the Red, White and Blue as she picked up a chip kick from Raecene McGregor which bounced perfectly into her path. Along with her four-pointer, she ran for almost 100 metres and made 30 tackles.
Power Takes a McGregor Bounce
Working incredibly hard on the defensive end was 21-year-old Olivia Kernick, in just her second season in the top grade, who led both sides in tackles made with 41 in her complete 70-minute performance.
Sergis Saves Certain Tries
The individual brilliance of superstar centre Jessica Sergis was put on display when she incredibly saved what looked to be two certain tries.
The first came in the 30th minute when Sergis spectacularly stripped the ball away from a rampaging Ashleigh Quinlan who looked just about certain to cross the line.
In the final ten minutes of play, the three-quarter tackled a runaway Abbi Church, forcing her to lose possession of the ball before she could pass to a wide open Zali Fay to score.
Strong Season Leaves Lasting Impression
The Roosters fell short of finals glory as they went down 24-10 to Parramatta, but the season proved to be one of many highlights.
Despite the disappointing result, the 2022 season saw the Tricolours become the first ever NRLW side to finish a five-game regular season going undefeated, winning all of their regular-season matches to claim the Minor Premiership.
Strange & Kelly | 2022 Semi Final Press Conference
No doubt there will be plenty or John Strange’s squad to build on heading into the expanded 2023 NRLW season as they look to bring more success to the Club’s trophy cabinet.
