BY ROB

The Raiders NRLW team found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger at the end of their inaugural match against the Sharks, but they, and indeed we, shouldn’t overlook the positives on show in their first 70 minutes as a team.

The Raiders came into this game without the benefit of a preseason trial match, and as anyone can tell you no amount of opposed sessions will ever beat playing an opposition proper. Accordingly it took the women in green a few sets to find their footing, even as the Sharks found the try-line.

It didn’t get much easier over the first stint – Monalisa Soliola had to go off for a HIA and the Raiders oscillated between handing the Sharks penalties and easy possession via errors. Cronulla took full advantage, running in two more tries.

Canberra had some positive signs, but what they really needed was someone to take it to the Sharks pack. Somone to kick in the door so the rest could follow. Enter Grace Kemp. Subbed on alongside Emma Barnes, Kemp helped firm up the middle defence and destroyed the opposition’s. The Raiders got the ball back and the Sharks promptly coughed up a trio of penalties, expertly manipulated by Ash Quinlan who caught several defenders backpedalling on a quick tap.

The Green Machine found themselves on the Sharks line, and there their first scoring play unfolded. Zahara Temara took a crash ball into the line under the posts, sucking in three or four defenders. Barnes then fired off a superb pass that travelled to third receiver, giving the left edge an overlap. Sharp passing got the ball out to Madison Bartlett who crossed for the Raiders first ever try in the NRLW.

Trailing 14-4 at the break the Raiders had their work cut out in the second half, but Grace Kemp made things look easy. A strong carry coming out of the Raiders forty laid the foundations, giving Barnes room to get in behind the Sharks ruck defence. A penalty saw the Raiders extend their attack, with Kemp taking a strong carry to play the ball inside the ten. Barnes scooted from dummy half and crashed over to score.

Unfortunately for the Raiders they couldn’t build on this, Kemp making an error shortly after (one of two occasions where a Raiders forward was daydreaming about what they’d do with the ball before they’d actually caught it). Mix in a penalty and the momentum quickly swing back to the Sharks who went on to double their points with another three tries.

The Raiders managed a late try, the second for Bartlett, when the Temara sisters linked with Quinlan to get the ball out to left where the Sharks were short on numbers.

So on to general impressions. Simaima Taufa is an exemplary leader – in attack she posted 143 metres (pcm 67m/ 14 runs/ AVG 10.3m per run), while still managing 40 tackles in defence. Her work at lock will be a huge factor in coming rounds. Hollie-Mae Dodd will be keen to get to round two after a game where she struggled to find her footing in the forwards, but if she’s anything like previous UK imports we have no doubt she’ll shine brightly soon.

Zahara Temara seemed to be everywhere, and her creative touches were deft, both in kicking and passing. Grace Kemp has the height and strength to absolutely wreck defensive lines, and her input in defence in her first few minutes helped not only staunch the blood loss but also turn the tide. Emma Barnes is an astute rake, quick thinking with an excellent long passing game.
Monalisa Soliola recovered from her HIA and put in some good carries towards the end of the match.

I find Ash Quinlan a fascinating half – it’s almost as though she and Zehara are in each other’s spot. She got through a truckload of work both on and off the ball, and her quick thinking around penalty taps helped get the Raiders in range for try number one.

So yes a disappointing result, but plenty of little things to cheer for. For a team that’s only been together a short while, and only has one game to their credit they’ve certainly got me excited about what the future holds.

If you’re in the nation’s capital next Saturday I urge you to get along to the first home game and cheer this team on to what will hopefully be their first ever win!

Rob will be handling review tasks for the NRLW team this season. You can follow Rob on Twitter here. Or you can do us a solid and like our page on Facebook, follow Dan on Twitter (or Threads!) or share this on social media. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.