The Newcastle Knights have secured their first NRLW minor premiership and a home semi-final by beating the West Tigers 28-8 at Leichhardt Oval on Thursday night.
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The Knights trailed 8-6 after a shaky first half, in which they worryingly lost star halfback Jesse Southwell to a suspected leg cork, but the hosts piled on the points after the break.
The defending NRLW champions made an explosive start against an under-strength Tigers outfit with lethal fullback Tamika Upton being held up over the tryline within the first 30 seconds of play.
The Tigers were desperate in defence but could not stop Knights winger Sheridan Gallagher scoring in the corner for her sixth try of the season in the 14th minute.
Southwell provided the assist with a long cut-out pass to Gallagher, who is having a break-out rookie NRLW campaign, but Newcastle's No.7 went down after contact to her upper left leg.
Gallagher converted her own try from the right sideline to give the Knights a 6-0 lead but a string of errors then proved costly for the visitors.
A dropped bomb then a mistake playing the ball deep in Newcastle territory put the Tigers within striking range and centre Rikeya Horne busted through the line to score in the right corner in the 20th minute.
The kick was unsuccessful, but the Tigers went 8-6 up in the 28th minute when Rebecca Pollard scored after a devastating run by opposite winger Jakiya Whitfield.
However, the second half was mostly one-way traffic.
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New Zealand international Abigail Roache scored tries in the 39th and 50th minutes then set up the killer blow when she took an intercept on her own try line and sprinted 70 metres before being stopped by Whitfield.
Moments later, Upton, in another outstanding performance, put Yasmin Clydsdale into a hole to score in the 57th minute.
Olivia Higgins put the game beyond reach when she scored in the 66th minute with a darting run out of dummy-half.
In the absence of Southwell, Gallagher took on the kicking duties and was successful with four of her five attempts.
The Knights were without English five-eighth Georgia Roche due to a hamstring issue in the only change to the starting side with Caitlin Moran taking her spot.
The win was Newcastle's seventh in a row and came after they had seized the competition's outright lead on Saturday with a 20-4 victory over the Sydney Roosters at McDonald Jones Stadium.
They finished the regular season with 16 points, dropping just one game in nine outings.
The Knights can now sit back and see how the rest of the final round plays out over this weekend, when their semi-final opponents will be determined.
Both NRLW semi-finals have been set down for Sunday, September 24 with the top teams earning hosting rights.
Renee Valentine
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
