By Ellery Behan
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks have dealt a crushing defeat to Mounties in their Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership Semi-final, rallying from 22-12 down to win 30-26 and advance to next week’s Grand Final.
The first few minutes saw nothing but one-way traffic, with an error from Mounties handing Cronulla valuable territory and a dropped intercept proving to be an opportunity gone begging for the black and yellow. A crash play from Leki Leilua saw the Sharks strike first, with Ella Ropata adding the extras for a handy 6-0 advantage.
But it didn’t take long for Mounties to hit back, advancing upfield and finding the line through a crash play of their own as Tyler Pelligra fired a short ball to Amelia Pasikala who was unstoppable from close range. Brielle Luccitti slotted the conversion to tie it up at 6-6.
On the attack once more, a grubber kick from Logan Lemusu forced an error from Cronulla on their line with Mounties packing the scrum on the right side. They ran a cunning short side play with Pelligra darting from hooker and finding Georgia Thomas, who lofted a pass to Swann, diving into the corner to put her side up by four.
The Sharks were swift in reclaiming the lead, turning a Mounties error into points as Tia-Jordyn Vasilovski probed around the forward pack in search for an opening before poking a grubber through the line and regathering for a stunning try. Ropata converted with ease to give the Sharks a narrow 12-10 lead.
But the pendulum swung back in favour of Mounties before the break, as the black and yellow produced two tries down their lethal right edge with Georgia Thomas crossing the stripe and Swann scoring one of her own with a mesmerising solo effort, placing them in the box seat at 18-12 at half-time.
Mounties picked up exactly where they left off after the break, creating more points off a scrum play as a right-to-left shift saw Lemusu throw a brilliant cut-out ball to Luccitti, who was met with plenty of contact at the try-line but planted the ball down nonetheless to establish a 10-point lead.
The Sharks wrestled their way back into the physical contest, controlling the ruck and punching holes through the middle. They turned momentum into points with a shift to the right edge that saw Marnie Isemonger play a brilliant short ball to Monique Donovan, who exploded through a gap in the defence and bedazzled the fullback with a right-foot step to score her ninth try in just seven games. Ropata converted from beside the uprights to reduce the deficit to 22-18.
But Mounties were out to spoil the party, doing exactly that just minutes later after a Cronulla error handed them valuable field position. They went back to their strong right edge, with the ball landing in the hands of Gwen Swann, who secured a semi-final hat trick and put her side beyond a converted try ahead of their opponents.
The Sharks refused to give up, biting back with eight minutes left through a herculean effort from Leki Leilua, who carried too many defenders to count over the try-line and miraculously planted the ball down under sticks, handing Ropata an easy conversion to close the gap to two.
Sensing blood in the water, the Sharks struck the killer blow on the very next set after kick-off. Attacking from inside their own half, they made a break through Marewa Samson who held the fullback up for just long enough to give Georgia Willey enough space to crash over the line, with Ropata adding the extras from out wide for a 30-26 advantage which saw them through to full-time.
Talking points
- The Sharks are the first team to advance to the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership Grand Final with a brave comeback at Jubilee Stadium.
- Mounties scored six tries compared to the Sharks’ five, but goalkicking woes gave Cronulla the upper hand on the scoreboard.
- The Sharks trailed for almost 50 minutes before a late rally put them ahead with just minutes left to play.
- Mounties fullback Logan Lemusu was exceptional in a losing side, proving a handful for defenders with her stunning footwork, fearless playmaking and tireless support play. Winger Gwen Swann was also a standout, crossing for a hat-trick.
Key moment
Trailing by eight with just 10 minutes to play, Cronulla needed a faultless finish to the game to see them through to the Grand Final. They commenced the comeback with an incredible crash play from Leki Leilua who bumped off defender after defender before crashing over the stripe. They shifted out wide on the set after kick-off and made a break down the left edge through Marewa Samson, before finding Georgia Willey on her outside to score. Ella Ropata’s perfect day off the kicking tee continued with a conversion from out wide, securing a four-point lead which carried Cronulla through to next week’s decider.
What’s next?
The Sharks advance to the Grand Final on Sunday 28 September at CommBank Stadium, while the curtain closes on Mounties’ impressive 2025 campaign.
