Wests Tigers are Grand Final bound after a 24-10 upset victory over the North Sydney Bears in the Semi Finals of the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership.
The Bears jumped out to a fast start but a first-half attacking onslaught from Adel Hage’s team was enough to book a spot in next Saturday’s decider at Campbelltown.
Both sides started nervously with several errors. One of those mistakes came off the back of a towering bomb from Emily Curtain, which set up the first attacking chance of the match.
However, Wests Tigers were unable to convert field position into points and the Bears marched downfield to post the first try of the match through Raecene McGregor.
It wasn’t long before the visitors hit back, with Emily Curtain placing a high kick for Jessica Sergis to leap above the pack and score her side’s first four-pointer of the afternoon.
Five minutes later, the Bears looked to have earned a repeat set but a desperate effort from Tess Staines saw the winger bring the ball back into the field of play.
On the ensuing set, Wests Tigers rolled upfield and embarked upon a right-to-left shift that saw Jessica Sergis break away down the left touchline. Sergis then found Staines backing up on her inside to extend her team’s lead to eight points.
It didn’t take long for Staines to pick up her second try of the afternoon as Losana Lutu’s silky footwork allowed Tayla Preston to get on the outside of her defender and send Staines away in the very next set.
The Bears tried to reduce the lead before half-time, but a try-saving tackle from Emily Curtain and a 62-metre dropout from Tayla Preston ensured that the scoreline stayed at 16-4 as both teams hit the sheds.
After the break, Losana Lutu kept the attack flowing for her side as she barged over on the back of a barnstorming run and quick play-the-ball from Jessica Sergis.
Sergis and Staines then combined on the defensive end to repel an attack from the Bears as they drove Page McGregor over the sideline.
Both sides were reduced to 12 women for ten minutes after a melee ensued in the 54th minute, with Raecene McGregor and Najvada George sent to the sin bin.
North Sydney were quick to capitalise on the extra space as a Kirra Dibb offload sent Jamielee Bright over to cut the lead to just ten points.
While there were some nervous moments as the Bears searched for another try, Wests Tigers held firm and did not concede again.
Instead, the dynamic left combined once more with a try in the final minutes to kick off the celebrations as Losana Lutu attracted two defenders before sending Jessica Sergis through the line.
Sergis then passed to an unmarked Tess Staines and the winger completed her hat-trick.
With the win, Wests Tigers will now advance to play the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the Grand Final after the Sharks pulled off an upset of their own against Mounties.
The match is set to be played at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with kick-off scheduled for 2:00pm.
