NRLW grand final: How Roosters’ honesty session got season on track
STARING down the possibility of being the only team not to record a win this inaugural season, home truths were the turning point for the Sydney Roosters to sneak in to this Sunday’s NRLW grand final.
Women's sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Women's sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
HOME truths and brutal honesty were the turning point for the Sydney Roosters to sneak in to this Sunday’s NRLW grand final.
Staring down the possibility of being the only team not to record a win this inaugural season, the playing group got together to lay it all on the table after their Round 2 14-4 loss to Brisbane.
With one game left to play and a small hope of making the final, the team needed answers.
What they found was a common, and simple, goal — repay the faith, win the premiership.
They started to repay the faith with the result they got last weekend — a resounding 26-0 victory over St George Illawarra.
The Roosters crossed the stripe six times, with winger Taleena Simon snagging a quartet of four-pointers, when previously only Isabelle Kelly had enjoyed try-scoring success.
Now it’s step two — win the premiership.
There’s no more underperforming for this group, they want to deliver the ultimate return to the club that had poured so much into them.
“The Roosters have looked after us tremendously and we could see they were giving and giving and we weren’t really giving them the results that they deserved,” said five-eighth Lavina O’Mealey.
“We got together as a player group and decided to lay it all on the table for one another and we all had the one common goal — to win this competition.
“The results spoke for themselves over the weekend.”
The Roosters’ star-studded line-up, which includes 15 marquee players with representative experience, is what had them pegged as the team to beat before the competition even started.
Ironically, that experience was what worked against them in the early rounds.
Having a number of players who captain at club and state level led to an on-field struggle for control. It took the players’ heart-to-heart to break through the issue.
“We’ve got a lot of leaders in this team and that’s probably the hardest thing, we’re all coming from different clubs and being captains in some of those and being in the leadership group,” O’Mealey said.
“Coming into it and trying to gel was probably the hardest thing and once we came along and wanted the common goal, sat down and talked to each other and realised we all wanted the same thing, it all fell into place.
“The improvements have shown each week.”
They’re not done yet. As the Roosters’ performances have lifted each round they’re ready to step it up another gear on Sunday.
They will need to against a Broncos side that has “set the benchmark this season” having gone through undefeated.
Brisbane have been dominant, the Roosters have battled and they are ready to again with one last full-team effort to deliver the inaugural premiership to Sydney.
“Definitely haven’t seen the best of us!” O’Mealey said.
“It’s basically Test games and State of Origin games (each week), the level is unbelievable. That’s what we wanted and it’s just going to get better and better.
“It doesn’t matter if I don’t stand out, as long as we get the result we’re after. As long as I can contribute to bringing the best out of my teammates, that will be better than an individual performance.”
Get ready for cricket like never before. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment until the first 4K cricket ball as part of 3 months free on a 12 month plan. SIGN UP TODAY. T&Cs apply.