By Billie Eder
There’s only one outcome for the NRLW grand final on Sunday according to Sharks coach Tony Herman, and that’s a Cronulla victory.
Never mind that their opponents, the Sydney Roosters, gave them a 40-0 walloping the one and only time they’ve met this season. In the words of Herman, “I think it will be a different result”.
“We won our first six, and the Roosters, they’re a really, really good footy side. They taught us a bit of a lesson that day, and I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a group,” Herman said ahead of Sunday’s grand final.
“They’ve got strike power across the park, a big, strong middle, and the way they played the game, we took that on board and went back to the drawing board. I thought our next two games we started to get back on track, and then last week defensively I thought we were really, really good and we’ll take that mindset into Sunday. I think it will be a different result.”
Leading the Sharks to a premiership in the team’s second year in the NRLW would be a massive achievement for Herman.
“We look back to last year, and we were probably a little bit inconsistent, and you get 24 people together and expect them to interact on the field and off the field in a particular way, and it’s not easy, and that brought inconsistency,” Herman said.
Sharks fans pose with Emma Tonegato and Brooke Anderson at the NRLW fan festival.Credit: Edwina Pickles
“And then we got into this year and we realised we had a special group, we won our first six, and talking to the guys in the 2016 team [NRL premiers], the buzz around the Shire, I think it would be amazing if we could win it.”
Fullback Emma Tonegato didn’t mince her words when asked about the prospect of adding a NRLW premiership to the Olympic gold medal she won with rugby sevens back in 2016.
“A premiership ring has been on my to-do list for a while now, and I’m so honoured to be in the big dance this weekend with the Sharks girls,” Tonegato said. “We’ll be fighting, that’s for sure.”
It won’t be an easy task against a Roosters side that’s had all its star players return from injury in the final weeks of the season.
Captain Isabelle Kelly didn’t miss a game after dislocating her elbow in round nine, while playmaker Tarryn Aiken returned from an AC shoulder injury in the semi-finals last week along with centre Jess Sergis who was back from a knee injury.
“Last year we sort of had our injuries right at the back end of the season. Ten minutes before half-time in our semi last year we had three players go down, and that was a little bit of a challenge to put girls in different positions,” said Roosters coach John Strange.
“But this year, from before round one with Corbs [Corban Baxter] going down and then Brydie [Parker] breaking her arm as well and other girls having season-ending injuries, it’s been forced upon us for the girls to be really flexible, and play multiple positions. So, I’m really confident that no matter what happens on Sunday out on the field, we’ve got cover for the girls to continue on.”
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