Newcastle have kicked off their NRLW title defence with a 12-10 win over the Sydney Roosters in an exciting clash at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night.
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The two-time defending premiers picked up where they left off last year with an impressive all-round display in front of 3921 fans.
They led 10-0 at half-time after scoring twice within five minutes midway through the half, but it was their defence that will have been most pleasing for new coach Ben Jeffries.
They were forced to defend their try-line on multiple occasions but some desperate efforts kept the visitors at bay.
It was more of the same after the break with the Roosters camped in the Knights' end for most of the second half.
They crossed in the 59th minute to make it 10-6 and then in the final minute of the game for a chance to send the match to golden-point, but missed a conversion attempt on full-time.
The win was Newcastle's 10th in a row and 14th in their past 15 games.
But it didn't come easy.
They twice stopped the Roosters centimetres short of the try-line as they were put on the back foot in the opening 10 minutes.
Newcastle lost five-eighth Georgia Roche to a head-injury assessment seven minutes in, which forced Lashion Albert-Jones to shift from the back row.
Roche returned in the 22nd minute after being cleared of concussion, coming back on after the Knights were denied a try.
Taking a pass from Tamika Upton on the right flank, centre Shanice Parker appeared to have scored but a video review showed her foot touched the sideline as she put the ball down.
The review also showed Parker had been hit high in the process, and it would take just a few plays after the restart for the Knights to cross again.
Hooker Olivia Higgins barged over from close range with a run from dummy-half, subtly selling a dummy to the Roosters defenders.
Five minutes later, Upton put Newcastle's other centre Abigail Roache into a gap and the New Zealand international crossed untouched on the left edge.
Roache celebrated by throwing the ball back to her teammates like it was a wedding bouquet.
The Roosters had another two close chances in the first half, but were denied scoring opportunities in the left corner by some desperate Knights defence.
Newcastle were again forced to defend at their own end early in the second stanza, but they proved just as hard to break.
Bench utility Jocelyn Kelleher finally got the visitors on the board when she finished off a long-range effort that started with a def chip-and-chase from halfback Tarryn Aiken.
Aiken set up the Roosters' second and a chance to send the game to golden-point extra time with a grubber that Jessica Sergis collected to score.
But Kelleher missed the conversion attempt in what proved the final play of the game as the full-time sounded.