Going for gold: Tonegato ready to renew Broughton rivalry

Sharks playmaker Emma Tonegato is set to renew a long-standing rivalry with Broncos five-eighth Gayle Broughton when the former Olympic stars meet in Sunday’s NRLW semi-final in Brisbane.

Tonegato was a key figure in Cronulla’s unbeaten run in the first six rounds, while Broughton’s return from injury in Round 3 coincided with the end of a two-match losing streak for Brisbane.

The Broncos have not lost since and finished the season as minor premiers.

The pair had previously been rivals in Rugby 7s, with Tonegato scoring the winning try in the final of the 2016 Rio Games against Broughton’s New Zealand team to claim the gold medal for Australia.

Broughton performed a similar feat in the semi-final of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo to snatch victory for the Black Ferns over Fiji before going on to win a gold medal in the final alongside new Broncos team-mate Stacey Waaka.

“I played against Gayle and Stacey. I think Gayle is someone who always brings that X-factor,” Tonegato said at the NRLW Finals launch on Monday.

“She has got that step and speed, so I knew when we played her we always had to keep an eye out for her. She has bought that spark across to league.”

Broncos lock Keilee Joseph said Broughton, who battled through a L4-L5 disc bulge in her lower back for much of last season, had a huge influence on the team, along with captain Ali Brigginshaw.

“She just brings this aura to our team, all the girls look up to her and everything she does just really helps us out,” Joseph said.

“She's just so controlled as a person, and she just takes that out on the field.

“I don’t think there's anything she can’t do. She just plays her normal game, and that's all she needs to do to help us.

“We’ve just got to be ready for anything, she could literally pull anything out of her hat and make it work.”

Brigginshaw is battling a sternum injury but Joseph has no doubts that she will take her place alongside Broughton in the halves against Cronulla and the grand final the following week if the Broncos win.

“Ali will be good, she's a soldier. I don't think much can take her away from playing footy,” Joseph said.

“Ali is such a leader, and I think her and Gayle link up really well, that's what we were missing in those first two games, so now that Gayle is back and Ali’s at her top form, it's really good.

"Unfortunately, Stacey Waaka broke her leg two weeks ago but she has also had a massive impact on our team, and she's still around us."

Despite losing their last three matches against the Roosters, Broncos and Wests Tigers to drop from first place to fourth, Tonegato is confident the Sharks can bounce back in the finals.

The winner of the Broncos-Sharks semi-final will meet either the Roosters or Knights, who play on Sunday at Allianz Stadium, in the grand final.

In a bid to regain their early season form, Tonegato has reverted to fullback, with Georgia Hannaway promoted to the five-eighth role.

“We haven’t really spoken about it but we know that it is do or die so we have just got to be on our games on Sunday,” Tonegato said.

“We have got girls who have played for their country so we need to stay as a close-knit group this week and be able to rely on each other, and ensure we are doing a team first mentality going forward.

“The Broncos have been pretty clinical the past couple of weeks and they have got a great spine with Ali and Gayle there.

“Gayle brings that little bit of flair and connects really well with Mele [Hufanga] on the edge, so we have got to watch them, as well as they have great forward pack.”