Mounties HNWP grand final hero Matilda Power chases NRLW contract for upcoming season
She’s travelled from Bathurst to Mounties to lead her team to a historic grand final win, now field goal hero Matilda Power wants the chance to showcase her skills against the elite in the NRLW.
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SHE was the grand final hero in the most bizarre grand final score seen in rugby league history.
But Matilda Power is still on the lookout for an NRLW contract as she strives to live out her dream at the elite level.
The Mounties halfback scored the solitary point in a 1-0 Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership grand final win over Canterbury at the weekend.
Despite her heroics and player of the match performance in NSW’s premier women’s competition, Power said she is yet to see that rewarded with an NRLW deal.
“At the moment nothing has come up which is pretty disappointing,” she said.
“Hopefully with time I will get a contract. It’s every young girl’s dream now to play in the NRLW.
“I want to have a crack but my time hasn’t come just yet.”
What makes Power’s path to this level even greater is her ability to overcome major setbacks throughout her career.
Major injuries played havoc with her health and availability, but she is now starting to show her ability after two years without setback.
“I started playing when I was six and stopped when I was 12,” she said.
“I returned when I was 15 then had four rough years with injuries. I had a cyst on my kidney rupture when I was in U18s and missed out on our grand final with St Clair.
“Then I’ve had three ACL reconstructions and a broken collarbone was my last one. I’ve had two years without injuries now so I’m feeling good.”
If you needed any proof she was back to her best, look no further than the grand final at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday, where she was named best on ground on the back of her clutch 67th minute field goal to give Mounties its first title since 2018.
“All the hard work paid off,” she said.
“It had taken us a while to get there. but it makes it all worthwhile.
“Our coach said to look over for the signal (to take the field goal). I thought the way it came off the boot it didn’t sound the best, but it kept going straight and straight.”
Mounties coach Grant Izzard was full of praise for the way his halfback was able to handle the pressure of a tough draw to finish the season, and said she has the ability to steer an NRLW team around the park if given the shot.
“She’s been really good for the past five weeks,” Izzard said.
“Tilly’s had to work hard on her talking. To see her push players out of the way to get in position for that shows how well she’s done.
“The penny’s dropped. She’s come up against players in the NRLW, Sky Blues and Jillaroos over the past month and has excelled every week.
“I’d love to see her get that shot (at NRLW). You can build a side around the kicking game she has.”
Izzard said her determination to lead Mounties despite obvious challenges proves she is ready to take the next step.
“She wouldn’t let anyone down. She’s come up against the best in the game that have these contracts,” he said.
“She doesn’t have a manager or self promote. She travels from Bathurst twice a week to play for me. She’s had to do that for a couple of years and I’m really proud of her.”
MOUNTIES CROWNED CHAMPIONS AFTER HISTORIC SCORELINE
ONE kick was all it took for Mounties to be crowned queens of the Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership, scoring an incredible 1-0 win over Canterbury at Leichhardt Oval.
Halfback Matilda Power calmly stepped up to the plate inside the final three minutes, breaking a 67-minute deadlock to give Mounties their first title since 2018 and providing one of the most bizarre grand final scorelines ever seen in the sport.
A tense first half saw both sides unable to break through in the early stages, with strong defence setting the tone for the night.
Gayle Broughton had the best chance of the opening exchanges when she crossed the line in the 15th minute, only to be ruled to have lost possession.
It was Mounties turn to attack deep in enemy territory, earning a repeat set after a Matilda Power cutout was dropped by Georgia Ravics in a failed intercept attempt.
They couldn’t make them pay, as the stalemate pushed past 25 minutes.
While the scorers weren’t troubled in the first half, a huge shot from Elianna Walton got the Mounties supporters up on their feet.
Canterbury looked set to finally break the deadlock early in the second half on the back of a burst from Mahalia Murphy, only to be dragged down inches from the line by Janaya Bent.
Moments later they again looked to be over the line, but this time it was Shenai Lendill denied by a covering tackle from Kerehitina Matua.
A penalty and repeat set gave Mounties a golden shot to attack inside the final 17 minutes, with Tommaya Kelly-Sines getting across the stripe, however the pass from dummy half was ruled forward.
Defence from the Bulldogs denied a certain try minutes later as Cortez Te Pou cut down a rampaging Petesa Lio just short of the line.
Mounties had all the running inside the final 10 minutes, turning down a penalty shot at goal to try and score the decisive first try of the match.
Canterbury held solid though, setting up an enthralling final five.
It was Mounties that held their nerve, slotting a field goal from the left foot of Matilda Power to go ahead 1-0.
GRAND FINAL PREVIEW
KENNEDY Cherrington has displayed leadership in many forms over the past few months.
Now she is looking to use that to guide Canterbury-Bankstown to a Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership title in the club’s return season.
The Bulldogs assembled a strong roster for their first tilt in the competition since 2019, with a win over Mounties this Saturday completing the fairytale comeback.
Cherrington is one of the most experienced players in the side, sharing the field with sister Rueben in two key positions, something she hasn’t taken for granted.
“We haven’t played much footy together, and to get that in the middle has been great,” Cherrington said.
“I’ve seen her grow so much this past season since she made her NRLW debut last year. It’s like looking at a reflection of myself in her.
“I can’t wait to see her dominate and take that number nine jersey. Last week (against Illawarra) was the best game I’ve seen her play, and with (coach) Sandy (Craig Sandercock), he’s been good for her in that role.”
Their minds have been set on the finals for the past fortnight, and Cherrington believes an added level of professionalism has helped get to this position.
Despite being understrength and going down convincingly to Mounties in the final round of the regular season, she believes they can turn the tables.
“Our preparation has been really good. Over the last two weeks we’ve gone to the next level with our professionalism and off-field recovery,” she said.
“Some of the girls not in the NRLW pathways, we’ve taught them how to prepare like pro athletes and that has tied into their performances.
“There’s a good vibe around our team and there’s lots of energy. We’ve been channelling that into the right areas of our game.
“We rested a majority of our side with a look towards the finals. Grand finals bring out the best in teams and it should be a great battle.
“They bring some hard punch in the middle, but I’m confident.”
Cherrington recently put pen to paper for a historic three-year contract extension with the Parramatta Eels in the NRLW, giving her vital security for the coming years.
With increased teams at the elite level, she believes that has helped to strengthen the HNWP, as well as offering a vital pathway for those on the fringe.
“I’m really excited with the deal. It’s not just three years, it’s stability,” she said.
“Not many have had that in the women’s game. It’s me looking after my family. These are the opportunities that are sometimes taken for granted in the men’s game.
“People have been worried about the NRLW being a diluted comp (with 10 teams), but this Harvey season has almost felt line an NRLW one.
“It’s a lot faster, the girls have that extra knowledge around footy.
“I told the girls over the last few weeks this is the time to put your best foot forward. Opportunities are up for grabs and not every NRLW squad is filled yet.”
The future of the Bulldogs pathways will be on display throughout grand final day, with their Tarsha Gale Cup side lining up against the Roosters Indigenous Academy.
“We’ve been to a few of their games and they’ve dominated their competition respectively,” she said.
“We’ve had a chance to mingle off the field and even in training they’ve had a few runs with us. They’ve helped us in the middle of the season when were a bit light on in the forwards.
“They came in and stepped up, and made a huge difference for us.”
The Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership grand final takes place at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday at 6pm.
Originally published as Mounties HNWP grand final hero Matilda Power chases NRLW contract for upcoming season
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