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A close competition is an exciting one, but one of the challenges with the NRLW is that due to depth still developing in the women’s game, suspension and injury are looking like they will increasingly play a role in the lead-up to the finals in September.
Heading into Round 5, the playoff race is close – the Roosters, Knights, Raiders and Titans round out the top four, all on six points.
The Wests Tigers, Broncos and Cowboys sit on four points, followed by St George Illawarra, Cronulla and Parramatta at the bottom.
Parra are the most obvious example of a team knocked around by unavailable players – they were without Rachael Pearson and Elsie Albert for the initial rounds and will be without Albert and Kennedy Cherrington for the weeks to come.
The Sharks have fallen to ninth and have struggled to reproduce their early-season form with injuries to players like Jada Taylor while the Tigers missed the impact of Botille Vette-Welsh and for the Titans, Tahliah Fuimaono remains sidelined and is now joined by Jamie Chapman and Rilee Jorgensen.
We cannot underestimate how disruptive it can be when teams lose their marquee players due to injury as the depth is often not quite there to replace them.
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For all teams, discipline needs to be a key focus as we move into the business end of the season, because having a player sidelined could be the difference between finishing in the top four and missing out.
Round 5 preview
North Queensland Cowboys v Cronulla Sharks, Saturday 11.05am at Queensland Country Bank Stadium
This should be an exciting contest between two of the new NRLW teams. The Cowboys will breathe a sigh of relief that Tallisha Harden was named in the run-on side after a knee injury last weekend. The Cowboys will look to Kirra Dibb to lead them around the park, but she has plenty of support with Mackenzie Weale consistently posting strong metres in the forwards, Fran Goldthorp creating plenty of headaches for the defence at fullback and Tahlulah Tillett who has been an exciting player to watch this year.
The Sharks welcome back Jada Taylor which will shift them back toward the formula that was so successful in the opening weeks of the competition with Emma Tonegato in the halves. This game may be a stop/start affair though with the two teams that have conceded the most penalties this season coming up against each other. Cowboys by 6
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Wests Tigers v St George Illawarra Dragons, Saturday 12.30pm at CommBank Stadium
It’s been a challenging fortnight for the Tigers who have lost their last two games. They were extremely unlucky last weekend, just falling short against the Cowboys thanks to a Jasmine Peters try in the 69th minute.
I’m expecting the Tigers to get their season back on track this week due to some crucial inclusions; Vette-Welsh has been one of their best this season along with Losana Lutu, particularly when she has come off the bench.
For the Dragons, Jamie Soward has made further team changes this week. I question how quickly the new combinations will be able to come together, given how much change the squad has seen in such a short period of time. I’m also expecting a huge game from Kezie Apps; this is the first time she has played against her old club. Tigers by 4
Gold Coast Titans v Sydney Roosters, Saturday 3.10pm at Cbus Super Stadium
This is by far the match of the round and will see the winner firmly entrenched in the top four and the loser potentially dropping out altogether.
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It’s unfortunate that the Titans are so impacted by injury for this game; key outs include Fuimaono, Champan and Jorgensen. The Roosters have some minor challenges of their own too, with Jayme Fressard being monitored closely in the lead-up to the game.
There are some exceptional individual contests in this game including Corban Baxter up against Evania Pelite and Shannon Mato coming up against Mille Boyle in the forwards.
The Roosters have the edge in the backline with Jessica Sergis and Isabelle Kelly running rampant in the Roosters win last week. This will be just enough to get the Roosters over the line. Roosters by 2
Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos, Sunday 12.03pm at McDonald Jones Stadium
McDonald Jones Stadium has sold out for this NRLM and NRLW double-header and given how much Newcastle fans love their footy, I’m expecting a huge crowd for this game.
Both teams are in form; the Broncos have won two in a row and the Knights have won three in a row. There are exciting battles all over the field for this game; Jesse Southwell up against Ali Brigginshaw, Caitlan Johnston and Tazmin Gray in the forwards and Shanice Parker up against Mele Hufunga. Knights by 4
Canberra Raiders v Parramatta Eels, Sunday 1.45pm at GIO Stadium
The Raiders have now won three in a row and have been extremely impressive in their debut NRLW season knocking off competition leaders the Roosters and also the Tigers. I expect them to make it four in a row with a win over the Eels.
Simaima Taufa has been immense for the Raiders, leading the Dally M leaderboard, followed by her teammate Zahara Temara, whose kicking game has been on point throughout the season. Taufa will want to make an impact against her old club and if the Raiders can win the battle through the middle, it will give their backs plenty of space with players like Apii Nicholls also in great form.
For the Eels, they put in a more complete performance against the Broncos and the impact of Pearson and Albert shone through; but without Albert it’s unclear who will lead against a powerful Raiders pack. The battle of the fullbacks between Apii Nicholls and Abbi Church will be one to keep an eye on. Raiders by 8
