Sharks women too strong for Souths
Backing up a hard-fought first up victory over Mounties the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership Sharks have continued on their winning ways in beating Souths 36-0 in their round two match.
Played at Central Coast Stadium as the curtain-raiser to the Souths v Manly NRL clash, the Sharks showed their class in proving too good for the Rabbitohs in a dominant seven tries to nil victory.
While the final score line was a blowout, assistant coach Ryan Cross explained the Sharks didn’t have it all their own way after getting off to a quick start.
“It was a good result in the end, but we went through a few patches in the game,” he said. “We started off red-hot, scoring two tries in the first five minutes, then the last 10 minutes of the half we pretty much had to tackle the whole time.
“They toughed it out and it was a good way to finish the half at 16-0.”
The second half followed a similar pattern to the way they finished he first, with the Sharks gifting their opponents field position and scoring opportunities early, only to turn them away then go on with the job late in the contest.
“We finished all over them, finished them off which was a good thing,” Cross added. “We’ve got a lot to work on but I think the girls are going in the right direction and there is a lot of heart here.”
After winning a defensive battle against Mounties in week one, the Sharks would have been pleased to score early, Tiana Penitani scoring with their first possession of the ball, then half back Maddie Studdon followed with a try soon after.
Outside back Andie Robinson scored the Sharks third try of the first half as they went to the break with a handy 16-0 advantage, before going on with the job in the second period.
The victory was built on a solid team performance, with Quincy Dodd, Penitani and Kiana Takairangi amongst the best for the Sharks on the night.
“I thought Quincy was good out of 9, both centres Kiana and Tiana, they were sharp out wide. Every time they got the ball they were dangerous. But the whole team played well and everyone contributed, I thought it was a good win,” Cross said.
The Sharks now have a long turnaround to their next match, which is against St Mary’s at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence on Monday, May 9.
SHARKS 36
Tiana Penitani 2, Kiana Takairangi 2, Andie Robinson, Maddie Studdon, Alexandra Weir tries, Studdon 4 goals
beat
SOUTHS 0
