The Hunter Wildfires have locked down another finals spot in Sydney women's premier rugby union with a resounding 36-0 win over Warringah at Pittwater Rugby Park on Saturday.
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Only three points separated the Wildfires in third and Warringah in fourth going into the round-14 exchange but Hunter kicked further ahead with a dominant performance that was built on defensive resolve and explosive attack.
"I don't think it locks us into third," Wildfires coach Joey de Dassel said.
"It certainly gets us a spot in the finals, which is great. Our goal is to win our next two games so that we can take some momentum into the finals and the result sets us up for a good couple of weeks, which is really important."
The injection of Wallaroos halfback Layne Morgan and flanker Ash Marsters for the first time this season proved a welcome boost.
Both got on the scoresheet along with loose-head prop Leticia Betham, outside centre Susannah Cooke, fullback Kyah Little and winger Harriet Neville.
"It's phenomenal to have a couple of Wallaroos come back into the team, not only from a performance point of view, just for the experience of the other girls and even as a coach," de Dassel said.
"They've got a vast amount of experience and they're both quality players but also quality people.
"They certainly didn't overplay their hand at all. Ash had some great involvements but just her chat and her experience out there talking to the other girls around her.
"Layne's service from halfback certainly sped up the game for us. We wanted to play fast and having her there enabled us to do that."
The Warringah side included NSW Waratahs and Wallaroos flanker Leilani Nathan, who is a Hunter product.
"They've got some quality players so probably the most pleasing thing is to keep them to zero," de Dassel said.
"Defence has been a bit of a strong point of ours all year and that shone through again.
"There was a little bit of pressure on us probably the first 10 minutes but we were able withstand that and then our attack starting humming probably for the first time this year."
The Wildfires, who have not missed finals since joining the Sydney competition, host second-placed Manly at No.2 Sportsground on Saturday before rounding out the regular season against Souths.
Hunter lost 15-0 to Manly in a Manly Oval mudbath when they last met.
In the penultimate round of Hunter Rugby Women on Saturday, Wanderers edged Hamilton 14-12 to stay unbeaten and move to 66 points atop the standings.
The Hawks (53) dropped from second to third place as Merewether (55) overhauled Southern Beaches (5) 51-21.
Maitland (37) were 18-10 winners over Nelson Bay (32) and University (21) downed Cooks Hill (5) 34-0.
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
