NRLW: Roosters star Corban McGregor not phased by Broncos ’yucky’ hair-pulling tackle
It was tough to watch - Dragons star Isabelle Kelly limping off with an ankle injury after being dragged down from behind by her ponytail. Corban McGregor will be making sure hers is ‘nice and tight’ this weekend.
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Corban McGregor is adamant that Brisbane’s hair-pulling tactics won’t stop the Sydney Roosters from beating the reigning NRWL champions on Saturday.
But they’ll tighten their braids and ponytails before kick off - just to be safe.
McGregor said that Amber Hall’s hair-pulling tackle that had Dragons star Isabelle Kelly screaming in pain with an ankle injury was hard to watch, but it hasn’t phased the Chooks.
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“We’ve seen a few little hair pulls, I think it’s just people trying to get something, it happens, but it was hard to watch, it was a yucky looking tackle,” McGregor said.
“I’m always making sure mine is nice and tight.”
Hall will sit out of the clash, after the NRLW judiciary slapped the Broncos prop with a one-match suspension for the hit on Kelly.
Brisbane’s skipper Ali Brigginshaw, however, is free to play, after taking an early plea on her Grade 1 dangerous contract charge on the Dragons Maddie Studdon.
McGregor said it was horrible watching her NSW and Jillaroos teammate Kelly go down last weekend.
“It was really tough to watch, especially with Izzy being one of my best mates, I don’t like seeing any girls getting hurt, so hopefully no more of that. I think it’s the right decision that she got a week off,” McGregor said.
“But we can’t go into a game being scared about that stuff, we might adjust our game plan a bit.”
This week, McGregor will pair in the halves with Melanie Howard, with the Roosters likely to rest usual halfback Zahara Temara.
Charlotte Caslick also impressed coach Jamie Feeney enough to keep the No.1 jersey.
The Chooks will also unleash a secret weapon - electric Taleena Simon, who returns to the field after missing 2019 due to pregnancy.
“Taleena is just such an athlete, we’ve seen it before, she can score hat tricks easily, she’s had time too to become a mum, and I’m excited to see her back shining on the big stage” McGregor said.
While the Roosters and Broncos have already booked their place in the NRLW grand final, McGregor said her side isn’t getting cocky.
“This game is still really important to us, we still need to get combinations going, and we’ve still got room for improvement across the park,” McGregor said.
“I’ve spoken about us having belief in ourselves and not worrying about what people say outside, there’s been a bit of people not backing us, so we’ve had to be positive and back ourselves.”