Wests Tigers’ NSW Women’s Premiership side has scored their first win of the 2024 season, coming away with a narrow 12-10 victory over the Eels at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence.
Match: Wests Tigers v Eels
Round 7 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
away Team
Eels
Venue: NSWRL Centre of Excellence, Sydney
The opening half was a scrappy affair, with multiple errors plaguing both sides as they entered good field position.
Wests Tigers hooker, Ebony Prior made her long-awaited return from injury in this clash and she came very close to opening the scoring before being held up over the line from dummy half.
Eels front-rower, Losalio Sita Payne produced a barnstorming run through the middle of the defence to come close to breaking the deadlock, however she was felled by Tiana-Lee Thorne and lost control of the ball.
Parramatta were ultimately first to score after 41 minutes, with left winger Alysha Bell scoring in the corner after a long cut-out ball from Pihuka Berryman-Duff.
Patricia Raikadroka was impressive off the interchange bench for Wests Tigers and her neat step allowed her to cross just left of the uprights, with Ellie Barnett’s conversion giving them a 6-4 lead after 54 minutes.
Tahleisha Maeva’s try allowed the Eels to regain the lead, however some members of Wests Tigers’ young brigade were next to strike.
Barnett and Lucyannah Luamanu-Leiataua, who both played in the Lisa Fiaola Cup U/17s Grand Final earlier this year, combined for Wests Tigers’ second try, as the halfback set up the back-rower with a great pass.
Barnett’s conversion made it 12-10 in favour of the Wests Tigers with four minutes remaining, and they withstood some late raids from Parramatta to take home the two points.
