Upton unreal as Knights advance from thriller
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The Knights will have the chance to defend their NRLW title on grand final day after a 30-24 semi-final win over the Broncos, which was inspired by a stellar showing from fullback Tamika Upton.
Lining up against her former club, Upton set up two of Newcastle's three tries in the first half – popping an offload to fellow co-captain Hannah Southwell before drilling a clever grubber kick for Caitlan Johnston – ahead of scoring one of her own off a determined run in the second period.
After winning their maiden NRL Telstra Women's Premiership last year, the Knights will now face the winner of the Roosters v Titans game at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
Caitlan Johnston Try
In front of a boisterous crowd of 12,689 at McDonald Jones Stadium – which is a record for a standalone NRLW game – Newcastle led from the fifth minute when Olivia Higgins scored, but had to keep fending off comeback attempts from the stubborn Broncos, who crossed with two minutes to go to ensure the game went down to the wire.
After Higgins' early strike, tries from Hannah Southwell and Upton followed and with Jesse Southwell converting all three, the hosts sat on a 18-0 lead before the game was 20 minutes old.
But Shenae Ciesiolka scored a crucial one for the Broncos just before the break and when Chelsea Lenarduzzi followed suit early in the second half, after Brisbane successfully retained possession via a captain's challenge, the gap became just eight and the comeback was well and truly on.
Shenae Ciesiolka Try
Upton then got over to create some breathing room again, only for the Broncos to respond with four-pointers to Tazmin Gray and Lauren Dam.
Tiana Davison's first try at NRLW level then looked to have sealed the win for Newcastle, but Dam grabbed her second two minutes later, which Ali Brigginshaw converted from the sideline, to set up a thrilling finish.
Match: Knights v Broncos
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Knights
1st Position
away Team
Broncos
4th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Match Snapshot
- The Knights are through to the NRLW Grand Final for the second year in a row, after finishing the regular season on top of the ladder.
- Tamika Upton set up two tries and scored one herself, in addition to registering three line breaks and running for 202 metres.
Tamika Upton Try
- The Broncos have now not beaten the Knights since the 2021 season.
- Brisbane forward Brianna Clark went on report for a dangerous tackle in the 50th minute.
- Goalkicking was crucial in the end, with Jesse Southwell converting all five of her side's tries and Ali Brigginshaw going 2/5.
- Both sides completed above 80 percent of their sets, with the Knights (85 percent) just ahead of the Broncos (82 percent).
Play of the Game
A crisp offload from Caitlan Johnston to the ever-present Tamika Upton got the play going and from there Upton simply refused to go down, breaking through multiple tackle attempts before firing an offload of her own to Hannah Southwell. From there Southwell had enough pace, with the help of a fend, to get over the line.
Hannah Southwell Try
What they Said
"It's so hard to fight your way back when you give a team an 18-point head start. I am super proud of the girls; they showed some real guts and grit and character on the way they fought back. I want to congratulate Newcastle and Ronnie [Griffiths] as well, they've been the form team of this comp and even though it hurts right now to say that I just want to wish them all the very best." – Broncos coach Scott Prince.
Broncos: Semi Finals
"It's surreal. When you talk about this team there's so many superlatives you could talk about. It wasn't pretty at times, but jeez we saw some magnificent grit. To do that in front of twelve and a half thousand people, the first of its kind in Newcastle, it's a testament to the group we have got here." – Knights coach Ronald Griffiths.
Knights: Semi Finals
What's Next
Newcastle prepare to play on grand final day for the second year in a row, with the chance to make it back-to-back titles. The Broncos meanwhile fall short of making it through to the decider for the third season in a row, having made three-straight between 2018-20, but will take heart from what was a much-improved campaign compared to 2022 when they missed the finals altogether.
