The 2023 NRLW season continues to go from strength to strength with another cracking weekend of footy in Round 4.
The NRLW ladder is slowly taking shape as heavyweights Sydney and Newcastle claim top spots while newcomers Canberra and Wests have impressed, four games in.
There’s a few dark horses in this year’s premiership race too, with the Gold Coast Titans and Brisbane Broncos proving they’re capable of beating anyone on their day.
With another five blockbuster games booked for this weekend, here’s my punters preview for each match in NRLW Round 5.
Very little splits these teams from a numbers perspective heading into Round 5.
The North Queensland Cowboys are two-and-two after picking up impressive wins over the Knights and Tigers to open the season. Both those come with an asterisk though; the Knights beat themselves with 13 errors and five penalties in that game and the Tigers struggled without Losana Lutu and Bo Vette-Welsh in attack last week.
The Sharks on the other hand beat Canberra in Round 1 before losing to the Tigers, Titans and Roosters in the last three weeks – the three best defensive teams in the NRLW.
Cronulla did respond better than last week’s 36-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters suggests, however, and I think they can handle the Cowboys on Saturday. They’ve got the best long kicking game in the competition through halfback Tayla Preston and the fourth best yardage pack to win the middle and dominate territory.
The Sharks attack is struggling without fullback Jada Taylor but as combinations develop in the spine I think we’ll see Cronulla’s execution improve. They showed glimpses of a promising gameplan with the ball last week and only need to find another few passes to turn their field position into points.
The Wests Tigers have been the surprise packet of 2023 and they’re every chance to challenge Raecene McGregor’s Dragons in NRLW Round 5.
Botille Vette-Welsh is back for Wests and can immediately improve what was a clunky attack last week. The Tigers created plenty of try scoring opportunities but halfback Emily Curtain struggled to find the try assist pass on the end of it. With Losana Lutu still sidelined through injury, I don’t think we’ll see the best of the Tigers attack this week.
Where the Tigers truly dominate though is in yardage, thanks largely to the contributions of Sarah Togatuki (avg 214 run metres) and Christian Pio (153m).
Comparatively, the Dragons are struggling through the middle.
They rank eighth for total yardage this season, which goes a long way to explaining their struggles in attack. McGregor is the best halfback in the game and Teagan Berry is a generational talent, but St George’s attacking players aren’t being afforded opportunities to positively influence the result.
I think Wests dominance in yardage might end up deciding this one.
We learned plenty about the Gold Coast Titans premiership credentials last week, even if they lost 22-10 to the Newcastle Knights.
The Titans currently play with the best defence in the NRLW and that’s what is keeping them in contests right until the dying stages.
Their attack is still developing through teenage halves Chantay Kiria-Ratu and Sienna Lofipo, but while playing behind a forward pack that ranks fifth in the NRLW for total run metres, they are earning enough opportunities to manufacture points.
The Gold Coast face another challenge this weekend against a stacked Sydney Roosters outfit that is clicking into gear.
Five-eighth Tarryn Aiken will go close to winning the Dally M award this season as she conducts a Roosters attack averaging 29 points per game. She’s combined nicely with left centre Isabelle Kelly to register eight tries down the left edge while Olivia Kernick and Jess Sergis have helped the Roosters to another 10 tries on the right.
Sydney have beaten four poor defensive sides so far this season and the Titans will provide a sterner test on Saturday, but the Roosters should still have too many points in them.
Same Game Multi selections:
- Roosters 1-12
- Tazmin Gray Anytime Try
This one profiles as the match of the round.
The Broncos struggled through a slow start but have found what works for them in the last fortnight.
Left centre Mele Hufanga is listed at 93kgs but surely weighs a bit more, and she moves like an outside back. Brisbane have finally learned to play towards her in attack, and Hufanga has cashed in for five tries in two games as a result.
The Knights currently play with the fourth-best defence in the comp and will have a plan to combat Hufanga in good-ball, but that’s easier said than done.
They showed their class to outplay Gold Coast last week but are making things difficult for themselves this season with ill-discipline. With an average 10.3 errors per game, Newcastle’s greatest opposition so far this year has been themselves.
When they hold the ball though, the short kicking game of Jesse Southwell and the ballplaying of Tamika Upton is tearing defences apart. If they generate enough play-the-balls on Brisbane’s line, expect the Knights to pick up the points.
If the Broncos can drag Newcastle into the grind though and maintain the pressure throughout 70-minutes, they might find themselves with the advantage.
The Parramatta Eels are struggling with four losses to open their 2023 season.
Marquee signings Rachael Pearson and Elsie Albert have managed just 95 minutes between them while forward leader Kennedy Cherrington is gone for another three weeks.
In a competition where possession and field position is king, the Eels are playing with neither in 2023.
On the flipside, the Raiders are enjoying life in the NRLW with three wins from four games to start their season.
Lock-forward Simaima Taufa is putting up Reuben Cotter numbers in the pack and leads the Dally M voting after four rounds played. She’s being well supported by the likes of Sophie Holyman and Grace Kemp off the bench.
Not only are they dominating in yardage, the Raiders also enjoy one of the best kicking games in the NRLW courtesy of five-eighth Zahara Temara. She’s finding the grass on fifth tackle and helping Canberra to play with the lion’s share of field position.
From there, the Raiders are piling on the points. Their left edge has cashed in seven times in four games and they’ve scored another six through the middle-third.
They’ll be testing an Eels middle defence that’s conceded nine tries so far this year and their right edge that’s leaked another 13…
Same Game Multi selections:
- Maddison Bartlett Anytime Try
- Monalisa Soliola Anytime Try