In chilly conditions, made even more difficult by a slippery and dewy playing surface, the Harvey Norman Women’s Sharks have outclassed the Wentworthville Magpies in a match contested at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence on Monday night.
In a match where the Sharks were always in control, they had some good moments, as well as patches which somewhat disappointed coach Tony Herman, but in the final washup were far too good in registering a 36-4 victory.
It was a win which saw the Sharks stay in touch with the Roosters and Mounties as they maintained third place on the competition ladder.
The Sharks scored early, in just the second minute when Georgia Page went over, then after those opening points were backed up by a try to Kiana Takairangii, it was 10-0 and the Magpies were already on the back foot.
Page scored a second soon after and by half time the Sharks had scored five tries and led 26-4.
The scoring slowed up somewhat for the Sharks after the break, however the job was done as the Cronulla girls registered their eighth win from nine matches so far this season.
As Sharks HNWP squad member Mardi Longford observed the fast start was pleasing but there remains work to be done with the business end of the season approaching.
“The girls completed their first six sets, which was good to see, that was one of our main goals,” she said. “We deviated from the plan a little bit after that, but came back and got a few tries on them before half time.”
Going forward, with big matches on the horizon against the undefeated Roosters and second-placed Mounties, defence might just become the focus.
“Our line speed, when we’re defending our line, we’ve got to get up on the big bodies in the middle. We can’t afford to give them time to power up,” Longford added.
As for her pick for the best in the Sharks win over Wentworthville, Longford went for a player who has recently returned from injury and will add plenty to Cronulla's charge into the finals.
“The standout for me was definitely Tayla Preston. She’s be moved around into a few different positions this season and I thought tonight she played outstanding,” Longford added.
The HNWP Sharks have a short turnaround to their next match, which is scheduled for a 1pm kick off on Saturday against St Marys. That match will be played at PointsBet Stadium.
HNWP
SHARKS 36
Talei Holmes 2, Georgia Page 2, Kiana Takairangi 2, Tayla Preston tries, Maddi Studdon 3, Preston goals
beat
WENTWORTHVILLE 4
