Roosters bounce back from a sluggish start to defeat the Raiders decisively.
The Roosters managed to turn around a sluggish start to defeat the Raiders 34-20. Despite the Raiders quickly taking a 10-0 lead, the Roosters found their rhythm, shutting down the Raiders’ challenge and securing their fourth victory. The match began with excitement as Raiders co-captain Simaima Taufa scored in the opening minute, capitalizing on an Ash Quinlan pass and charging through the middle of the field.
The match got off to an exhilarating start when Raiders co-captain Simaima Taufa scored just one minute in, receiving an Ash Quinlan pass and sprinting through the middle of the field.
Jasmin Strange almost scored for the Roosters but lost the ball over the line due to Raiders fullback Apii Nicholls’ defense. The Roosters regained possession when the Raiders were ruled offside, but Tarryn Aiken couldn’t capitalize, losing control of the ball while trying to score. Instead, the Raiders extended their lead with effective passing to the left, allowing Madison Bartlett to score.
The Roosters finally got on the board when Amber Hall broke through three defenders to score. They then added two more tries before halftime, taking a 16-10 lead, partly due to the Raiders losing England forward Hollie-Mae Dodd to the sin-bin for a hip-drop tackle on Keeley Davis.
The Raiders were further disadvantaged by the early departure of co-captain Taufa, who did not pass her HIA in the first half and was therefore sidelined for the match. Her absence was felt as Canberra struggled to cover her strong carries, despite the efforts of her fellow forwards. The team conceded too many tries during the middle of the game.
After halftime, the Roosters extended their lead with two consecutive tries. Eliza Lopamaua and Tiana Davison made a notable contribution, especially with a critical play just before the dead ball line, pushing their team to a 28-10 advantage.
Ash Quinlan’s 40/30 kick successfully shifted momentum for the Raiders, allowing them to finally mount some pressure on the Roosters’ line, but they were unable to capitalize on it.
Nevertheless, the Raiders demonstrated their resilience by scoring next. Mackenzie Wiki received a cut-out pass from Zahara Temara, charged toward the line, and broke through to reduce the deficit to 28-14.
However, Tarryn Aiken dashed any hopes of a comeback with a long-distance effort. She intercepted a kick from her own tryline and sprinted past defenders to score, effectively ending the Raiders’ fightback.
Although the Raiders kept pushing, with Dodd demonstrating significant effort by reaching out to touch the ball on the line and closing the gap, and Temara’s conversion bringing the score to 34-20, no further points were scored in the match.
Match Snapshot
After scoring the game’s opening try, Raiders lock Simaima Taufa had to leave early in the first half due to an unsuccessful HIA. The Raiders also lost Sereana Naitokatoka, who did not return after her HIA. Canberra winger Shakiah Tungai was cited for high contact on Isabelle Kelly, and Millie Elliott was also reported and sent to the sin bin late in the second half for a similar infraction. Roosters half Tarryn Aiken was named player of the match and received the commissioner’s medal. The Roosters have won five of their six games at Allianz Stadium and became the first team to reach 40 NRLW games. The Raiders have conceded at least 24 points in each of their last five matches.
