Temara field goal sinks Eels in thriller
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A late field goal to five-eighth Zahara Temara has kept the Sydney Roosters' finals hopes alive with a 19-18 victory over Parramatta on Sunday.
Temara slotted a 25-metre field goal with three minutes remaining after scores were locked at 18-18 midway through the second half.
Earlier, the Tricolours got off to a blistering start with tries to Brydie Parker and Mya Hill-Moana inside the opening 10 minutes.
Parker finished off a Raecene McGregor kick that bounced perfectly before Hill-Moana charged her way over the line from close range.
Parramatta hit back in the 18th minute when Botille Vette-Welsh found space on the right edge to send Abbi Church over for second career try.
Temara slots the late field-goal to put the Roosters ahead
Both sides struggled to find any ascendency until midway through the second half with a loose pass from Maddie Studdon scooped up by Christian Pio, who crossed untouched.
The Eels hit the lead shortly after when Tiana Penitani crossed through a Studdon pass but the Roosters weren't done with yet to level the scores through Sarah Togatuki with 13 minutes left.
Match: Eels v Roosters
Round 4 -
home Team
Eels
3rd Position
away Team
Roosters
5th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Match Snapshot
- Roosters forward Samantha Economos left the field in the 37th minute due to a head knock.
- Roosters centre Isabelle Kelly was placed on report for an alleged crusher in the 42nd minute.
- Kelly was disallowed two tries in the second half, including a long-range effort against the run of play in the 46th minute.
- Parramatta five-eighth Emily Curtain was replaced by Sereana Naitokatoka in the second half.
Pio capitalises on Roosters napping
Play of the Game
Temara's field goal, the second ever in NRLW history and first for the Roosters, saved the day for the Tricolours.
The foundation playmaker set herself before safely slotting the one pointer under pressure.
Temara slots the late field-goal to put the Roosters ahead
What they said
"I said to 'Z' (Temara), if she kicks a field goal again to give us a reaction. She's cool and calm and we practiced that a bit at training. For her it was just a training run out there, she doesn't feel the pressure. It was an exciting game and I thought it was a really good, quality game. Both sides played really well and it was probably one for the spectators, not so much the coaches." - Roosters coach John Strange on Temara's field goal and the side's performance.
"To be on the other side [losing by a point] it's tough and disappointing. We just didn't execute well at all at the end. We started poorly in the first half and it took its toll on us. We couldn't get control of the game for long enough out there and probably got the result we deserved." - Eels coach Dean Widders reflects on the loss.
What's Next
The Roosters will travel to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium for a clash against the Dragons on Saturday.
Roosters star Jessica Sergis is likely to be available to face her former side.
Parramatta will travel to Suncorp Stadium to take on the competition-leading Broncos on Sunday.
