The Sydney Roosters have booked their spot in the NRLW Grand Final this afternoon, with a 22-12 win over the New Zealand Warriors at Bankwest Stadium.
It was a 10-point victory for the Tricolours as they continue their unbeaten run in the 2020 season of the NRLW.
It was a scratchy start from both sides with errors preventing either side from dominating early. The Sydney Roosters were the first team to pounce in the 15th minute of the match through centre Yasmin Meakes. Corban McGregor's brilliance was shown in this piece of play as she isolated Meakes one on one with an opposing winger who failed to tackle Meakes as she scored the opener for the Roosters. The Roosters started to get into their groove after this opening try and they doubled their lead just eight minutes later. This time it was lazy defence from the Warriors that was exposed by dummy-half Quincy Dodd who made a smart decision to dart out of dummy-half and dive over after realising the lack of defenders around the ruck. A textbook hooker try.
The Roosters gave away multiple penalties in the opening half but the Warriors failed to capitalise on these opportunities. This allowed the Rooster to enter the half with a 12-point lead. A fast start was required from the Warriors.
The Warriors failed to start the half as they'd hoped after back to back penalties early in the half gave the Roosters some great field position. The Roosters continued to show their class and 10 minutes into the second half, halfback Zahara Temara showed her brilliance as she skipped across the Warriors defensive line as she straightened her run and burst through a gap in the defence. The fullback stood in her way but she threw and dummy and broke through a tackle attempt as she raced away to put the Roosters up by 18 points. 10 minutes later and the Roosters essentially put the score out of the Warriors reach. After a repeat set earned through a great kick from Temara, the Roosters shifted the ball through the hands towards the left edge, highlighting the fluidity of the Roosters attack as Bobbi Law was found unmarked on the wing as she raced over for the fourth of the afternoon.
The Roosters slacked off towards the end of the game as the Warriors scored two consolation tries in the final two minutes. The first came from a piece of class from Kirra Dibb who kicked into the in-goal for herself and she beat Law to the ball to score the Warriors first of the afternoon. The second try came straight from the kick-off as the Warriors shifted the ball to the left, finding Evania Pelite who broke a tackle and raced away to score a long range effort for the home side, proving to be too quick for her Roosters counterparts.
It was a convincing display from the Sydney Roosters who take on the defending premiers, the Brisbane Broncos next week as they prepare for their second NRLW grand final. Meanwhile the Warriors will take on the St. George Illawarra Dragons as they hope to end their campaign with a win in their last clash.