Golden girl Chantay aces her communications examination

Quietly spoken halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu is learning to find her voice in Cronulla’s NRLW team.

Everyone can see she’s already found her kicking abilities, using them superbly to get the Sharks out of trouble in a 19-18 golden point win over the Knights in Round 9.

The former Titans five-eighth, who was part of the 2023 grand final team, now has the No.7 on her back with the Sharks.

And at just 20 she is having to order around Origin players like Tiana Penitani Gray, Ellie Johnston, Caitlan Johnston-Green, Emma Verran and Georgia Hannaway.

“I’ve been challenged a lot to really step up with my communication as a halfback,” Kiria-Ratu told NRL.com.

“Coming to a new space, new girls, it’s been a real challenge to find my voice.”

But that she certainly has as she took the reins in extra time last Sunday, kicking the field goal in her first attempt from 22 metres out.

Kiria-Ratu first had to slot through the conversion for the Sharks match-levelling try in the 69th minute by lock Brooke Anderson.

“One hundred per cent I’m grateful she scored nearer the posts,” Kiria-Ratu said after the three earlier Sharks tries were out on the right edge.

“I took my deep breaths as I usually do and just told myself to keep following forward and it went through.”

Then came a quick discussion for the Sharks first set in extra-time.

“We actually did have a plan for golden point and it was decided that I would kick the field goal,” she said.

“The only ones that knew though were Georgia (Hannaway) and Emma (Verran).

“It was only us three to keep it simple and they just let me do my job. It was up to them to organise where the ball was played to get us to the right spot.

“I did have a tough game so putting that one over made me feel a little bit better.”

Kiria-Ratu’s positional kicks-in-play were not up to her usual standard and the Knights' first two tries were down the Sharks right edge where she defends.

But a bomb gave teammate Georgia Ravics her first try of the match and Kiria-Ratu did make 16 tackles without a miss.

“It was a hard game to explain. I didn’t feel like it was really us and we put ourselves under such pressure,” she said

The half-time stats showed that with a poor completion rate by the Sharks and no line breaks to the Knights’ four. But by full-time the Sharks had made eight line breaks to five.

“The last 10 to 15 minutes was what staying in the grind looks like for us,” Kiria-Ratu said.

It was a welcome jolt back into form for the Sharks and it’s been a refreshing time for Kiria-Ratu who missed the entire 2024 NRLW season due to a serious knee injury.

But one of her other goals in 2025 is to return to the Cook Islands team. She played for them in the 2022 World Cup and also the 2023 Pacific Championships before missing last year.

“Hopefully I’ll represent the Cook Islands again this year and get a couple of wins for them,” she said.

“I’m not looking too far ahead – kind of focusing on Sharks footy for the moment.”

Cook Islands Moana’s first game in the 2025 tournament is against the PNG Orchids at their home ground, Santos National Football Stadium, in Port Moresby on October 18.