St George Illawarra Dragons v Gold Coast Titans
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NRLW Semi Final: Dragons v Titans preview
History will be made on Sunday afternoon in the first ever NRLW finals series as the St George Illawarra Dragons take on the Gold Coast Titans at Leichhardt Oval in a battle between second and third.
The surprise packets of the NRLW season (well at least to me) have been the St George Illawarra Dragons who prior to the final round sat top of the ladder before being pushed back to second spot on for & against. The Dragons have won four of their five matches this season having only lost to the Broncos in a match where the Red ‘V' were only defeated late when they were significantly understrength.
Last weekend, the Dragons needed to fight their way to victory with again having a number of key players missing including halfback Rachael Pearson who has been a star for the Red ‘V' this season. The Dragons were able to take a 16-10 victory over the Sydney Roosters in what was a low scoring affair despite scoring four tries to two. Coach Jamie Soward will have two major factors that he will be wanting to work on this week for his side, cleaning up the error rate after his side made 15 errors last week and completed at just 57% as well as goal kicking which could be a concern given St George Illawarra have kicked just 2/14 in the past two weeks.
Dragons coach Jamie Soward has named Jaime Chapman despite the Red ‘V' speedster only managing three minutes last week before having to leave the field after failing her HIA. The Dragons will welcome back halfback Rachael Pearson who was left out of the side last week after not risking a back injury in a game that wouldn't effect the Dragons place in the finals. The return of Pearson sees Quincy Dodd move back to
The Gold Coast Titans have been the proverbial mixed bag this season winning 3 of their 5 matches this season including defeating their Queensland rivals a fortnight ago. The Titans side is filled with experience but was quite inconsistent having only won one of their opening three matches when. Despite being inconsistent to start the season, the Titans come into the finals off back-to-back wins which will give them confidence.
Despite getting the win last weekend, the Gold Coast Titans performance could be seen as scratchy as they could only manage a 14-10 victory against the winless Newcastle Knights. The Titans were behind the Knights most of the game and had to come from behind twice to take victory. The Gold Coast dominated every facet of the stats so the fact they could only manage a four point margin would be a concern. The loss of star Evania Pelite didn't help the cause and they will be hoping for her return this week.
The Titans have received a boost with Tazmin Gray and Georgia Hale returning to the side after serving suspensions. Despite the boost, the Gold Coast could still be without star Evania Pelite who has been named in the reserves still battling her ankle injury.
Last meeting: Round 1 2021 - Dragons 20 Titans 12
Who to watch: Arguably the biggest surprise packet of the NRL season, Rachael Peason has slotted straight into a commanding rile for the Dragons this season. Pearson's impact in the halves has been the key to their performances this season. Pearson will need to lead the side around the park if the Dragons want to ensure they get past the Titans.
Having starred on the biggest NRLW stage before, Kimiora Breayley-Nati knows what it takes to have big performances in must win matches. The inaugural Karen Murphy medal winner, Breayley-Nati will need to bring her experience to the front if the Titans want to take victory on Sunday afternoon.
The favourite: The Dragons are well supported to make their second NRLW decider.
My tip: This game is harder to tip than it looks, both sides give you strong reasons on why they can win it but ultimately I've settled on the Dragons. Their performances this season have been excellent and moving forward I think the Dragons have a more solid and consistent form. This game could go down to the wire and potentially even Golden Point. Dragons by 4.
1. Emma Tonegato 2. Teagan Berry 3. Jaime Chapman 4. Page McGregor 5. Madison Bartlett 6. Taliah Fuimaono 7. Rachael Pearson 8. Elsie Albert 9. Keeley Davis 10. Kezie Apps 15. Kody House 12. Shaylee Bent 13. Holli Wheeler 11. Talei Holmes 14. Quincy Dodd 18. Renee Targett 21. Aliti Namoce 19. Keele Browne
1. Jetaya Faifua 2. Karina Brown 3. Jasmine Peters 22. Evania Pelite 5. Hailee-Jay Maunsell 14. Georgia Hale 7. Kimiora Breayley-Nati 8. Brianna Clark 9. Brittany Breayley-Nati 10. Stephanie Hancock 11. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith 12. Tazmin Gray 13. Destiny Brill 4. Shaniah Power 15. Jessika Elliston 18. Cobie-Jane Morgan 19. April Ngatupuna 16. Laikha Clarke
Referees: Kasey Badger; Sideline Officials: Jake Sutherland, Kailey Beattie; Video Referees: Alan Shortall;