Brisbane has all however confirmed its NRLW finals berth after Chelsea Lenarduzzi’s last-minute attempt sealed an exhilarating 20-16 defeat of ladder-leading Cronulla.
The Broncos’ win got here earlier than Newcastle ended Gold Coast’s top-four hopes and reasserted its personal heavyweight standing with a 46-10 thrashing of the Titans.
Made to defend their line for lengthy intervals in Robina, the Broncos rolled up-field on a seven-tackle set and took an unlikely lead when fullback Hayley Maddick discovered prop Lenarduzzi with a brief ball.
The Queensland State of Origin consultant barrelled over Sharks lock Brooke Anderson en path to the road to seal Brisbane’s sixth-straight win with 16 seconds to spare in Saturday afternoon’s match.
It might take an enormous loss to ninth-placed St George Illawarra subsequent week and Parramatta to attain equally decisive wins of their final two matches for Brisbane to overlook the highest 4.
It marks fairly the turnaround for Scott Prince’s facet, who went winless throughout the opening two weeks of the season.
Winger Stacey Waaka left the sector simply earlier than half-time in the one blight on the Broncos’ afternoon, a leg harm trying set to maintain the New Zealand rugby sevens Olympic gold medallist out for the rest of her debut NRLW season.
Earlier, the Sharks scored twice within the six minutes after half-time to erase the Broncos’ four-point lead, searching for to bounce again from final week’s 40-0 humbling from the Sydney Roosters.
However winger Julia Robinson grabbed a cut-out move from Maddick to convey the Broncos again inside two factors, earlier than Lenarduzzi stepped up within the dying seconds.
In Saturday’s later match, Titans five-eighth Sienna Lofipo dropped the kick-off and triggered a first-half onslaught from the guests.
Newcastle’s 34-0 lead on the break was the equal-largest in NRLW premiership historical past.
NSW second-rower Yasmin Clydsdale acquired previous Lofipo for the primary of her two tries on the fourth deal with of the day, earlier than famous person fullback Tamika Upton started pulling the strings.
Upton chased down Georgia Roche’s kick for her personal four-pointer and an 18-0 lead after 16 minutes, earlier than throwing the final move in two extra four-pointers within the first half.
The floodgates reopened when Ngatokotoru Arakua went to the sin-bin for the hip-drop deal with that sidelined Nita Maynard with an ankle harm within the second time period.
Whereas the Knights had the personnel benefit, Upton helped proper winger Sheridan Gallagher grow to be the primary Knights participant to report an NRLW hat-trick.
The win usurps final season’s 38-4 thrashing of Parramatta because the Knights’ most complete in 4 seasons.
AAP