Harvey Norman Womens Premiership

Weststigers are the HNWP Champions

by
ourfooty
16/07/2022

Weststigers are the HNWP Champions (Photo's & ani : steve Montgomery)

Weststigers are the HNWP Champions

Author : Thomas Beauchamp & Wests Tigers

Weststigers are the HNWP Champions

Wests Tigers have claimed their maiden Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership after a thrilling 21-20 victory over the Cronulla Sharks at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.

It took over eighty minutes to find a winner, with both sides finishing level after seventy minutes of play and a further ten minutes of extra time.

Emily Curtain emerged as the hero of the afternoon as she slotted the winning field goal in Golden Point to win the game for her side and claim the Chairman’s Medal.

The match started at a rapid pace as both teams settled into the Grand Final, but they soon went set-for-set as any early nerves quickly faded.

Wests Tigers soon started to roll through the middle of the field by stringing together several quick play-the-balls, but the momentum quickly shifted when Teagan Berry made a break down the right sideline.

Losana Lutu stopped Berry with a desperate ankle tap, but the Sharks would not be denied as Tiana Penitani crossed for the first try of the afternoon.

It didn’t take long for Wests Tigers to level the scores though, with Emily Curtain placing a perfectly-weighted chip kick through the line for Keele Brown to claim.

Jessica Sergis and Tess Staines then made a pair of line breaks in quick succession, but the scrambling Sharks defence shut down both scoring opportunities.

Maddie Studdon put the Sharks back in front with a penalty goal in the 31st minute, but Wests Tigers would receive one final attacking chance in the final minute of the half.

Tayla Preston capitalised on the opportunity by skipping past the flying defence and passing to an unmarked Jessica Sergis as the siren sounded.

The second half started unhappily for Adel Hage’s side as Maddie Studdon committed one defender before passing to Talei Holmes to tie the match.

However, the Sharks committed an error in the following set and Tayla Preston produced a magical flick pass to Josephine Lenaz for the winger’s first try of the afternoon.

In line with the see-sawing nature of the match, the Sharks levelled the scores once again in the 54th minute through winger Zali Fay.

In the final ten minutes, the Sharks’ only field goal attempt was quickly shut down by Kezie Apps, while Emily Curtain was unable to provide the winner on the stroke of full time.

With both sides not wanting to give away cheap possession, Extra Time started in cagey fashion. However, NSW representative Quincy Dodd soon broke the game open for the Sharks with a break through the centre of the field.

Dodd passed to Sam Bremner, who avoided the diving tackle of Kezie Apps and scored underneath the posts to put her side ahead by six.

In desperate need of a try, Wests Tigers then embarked on one final attacking opportunity with time quickly running out.

A deft pass from Losana Lutu sent Keele Brown through a gaping hole in the defensive line, with the centre providing Emily Curtain with the opportunity to send the match into Golden Point.

Under immense pressure, Curtain drilled the conversion from out wide as the siren sounded, sending the Campbelltown crowd into raptures.

Curtain then stepped up again in Golden Point as she received the ball twenty metres out and snapped the match winning field goal to win the premiership for her side.

The victory completes a sensational year for Wests Tigers women’s program, with the club reaching the Semi-Finals in the Tarsha Gale Cup and receiving their NRLW licence in June.

Come and congratulate our Harvey Norman Women’s Premiers at CommBank Stadium on Sunday. The team will doing a lap of honour at half time of the Round 18 NRL match between Wests Tigers and the Panthers.

The HNWP 2022 Grand Final teams

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

1. Sam Bremner 2. Zali Fay 3. Tiana Penitani 4. Leianne Tufuga 5. Teagan Berry 6. Zali Hopkins 7. Maddie Studdon 8. Tegan Dymock 9. Quincy Dodd 10. Holli Wheeler 11. Samantha Economos 12. Talei Holmes 13. Brooke Anderson 14. Rueben Cherrington 15. Natasha Penitani 16. Kirsty Sant 17. Cassie Staples 18. Ella Barker

Wests Tigers

1. Tayla Preston 2. Tess Staines 3. Keele Browne 4. Jessica Sergis 5. Josephine Lenaz 6. Losana Lutu 7. Emily Curtain 8. Imogen Gobran 9. Sophie Curtain 10. Kezie Apps 11. Christian Pio 12. Taylor Osborne 13. Najvada George 14. Ebony Prior 15. Jasmine Lepua 16. Shekinah Edwards 17. Sarah Boyle 18. Bianca Bennetts 19. Jessica Whelan 20. Tyler Pelligra 23. Rachel Simpson

Referee: Dillian Wells
Sideline Ref’s : Luke Saldern, Benjamin Seppala
In-goal Ref’s : Ethan Klein, Adam Sirianni

Full results and grand final players stat’s

More Women’s Rugby League news

Marymount College claim historic Confraternity title

ASSRL Champ’s Day 6

Australia’s top 50 Under 18 Rugby League Players

Australia’s top 50 Under 15 Rugby League Players