The Knights kicked off their premiership defence with a 32-16 win against a fast finishing St George Illawarra at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
The bruising clash saw both teams lose players during the match, however, it was the Knights forwards rolling up their sleeves and putting in a dominant display to record their first win of the season.
Newcastle forwards Rima Butler and Laishon Albert-Jones both spent time off the field for a HIA, with the latter ruled out, while Tayla Predebon suffered a suspected dislocated finger.
With England five-eighth Georgia Roche set to make her NRLW debut next weekend, Caitlin Moran pushed claims to keep the No.6 jersey as she laid on two tries in the second half to help secure the win for the defending premiers.
Jesse Southwell try 68th minute
A dangerous tackle from Dragons second rower Roxy Murdoch gave the Knights field position which saw Predebon crash over in the 12th minute. Jesse Southwell converted to take their lead to 6-0.
With the Knights gaining early momentum, their lead was further extended when Upton put Yasmin Clydesdale through a hole with a perfectly timed pass in the 17th minute. Southwell added the extras bringing the score to 12-0.
Yasmin Clydsdale try 17th minute
The Knights were forced into a reshuffle following a head clash between Butler and Albert-Jones in the 20th minute.
A set re-start close to the line gave the Knights valuable possession which resulted in Kayla Romanuik crashing over to score in the 27th minute and Southwell converted to take the lead to 18-0.
Dragons five-eighth Tyla Nathan-Wong was also forced to undergo a HIA in the 31st minute but was cleared to return.
Fullback Teagan Berry slashed through the Knights defence after back-to-back penalties gave the Dragons valuable field position two minutes before half-time.
Teagan Berry try 33rd minute
Interchange forward Jamielee Bright replaced Nathan-Wong to convert the try to bring the score to 18-6.
After an end-to-end start to the second half, Knights winger Jasmin Strange scored off a long ball from Moran in the 44th minute following an attempted Dragons charge down. Southwell missed the conversion.
With the Knights having all the momentum, Moran found centre Abigail Roach out-wide with a perfectly weighted grubber kick to give the home side a 26-6 lead in the 56th minute.
Against the run of play, Berry trapped the ball off a grubber kick and ran 90 metres to score for the Dragons in the 61st minute. Nathan-Wong converted to bring the score to 26-10.
Teagan Berry try 61st minute
In the next set after the kick-off, Nathan-Wong scored for the Dragons after sneaking through defenders with a dummy pass and a left foot step. Nathan-Wong was unable to convert her own try.
The Dragons' momentum was halted after Knights fullback Upton collected a short line drop-out and Southwell sealed the win at the other end with a try off her trademark right-foot step to bring the final score to 32-16.
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Match Snapshot
- Kiwi Ferns international Laishon Albert-Jones clashed heads with teammate Rima Butler which saw her ruled out for the Knights in the 20th minute.
- Newcastle forward Tayla Predebon left the field in the 16th minute with a suspected dislocated finger, however, she overcame the injury to return later in the half.
- The Dragons had just five players returning from the 2022 NRLW campaign, along with five NRLW debutants.
- Dragons fullback Teagan Berry has scored six tries in four games against the Knights.
- The Knights have scored 92 points against the Dragons in the past three meetings between the clubs.
Tyla Nathan- Wong try 64th minute
Play of the Game
Knights five-eighth Caitlin Moran produced a spectacular 'Harbour Bridge' pass which saw debutant Jasmin Strange score in the corner to regain momentum for the home team in the second half.
Jasmin Strange try 44th minute
What they said
“I thought it was a solid performance, certainly some of our senior players were really good and some of our debutants were very good. I thought there was some nice connection defensively, kept our legs moving. I also thought that some of the resolve or the grit that the team showed there, because we did lose the two middles, it was really good, and I reckon that’s Newcastle in a nutshell. If we can encapsulate that, we’ll go okay.” – Knights coach Ronald Griffiths.
Knights: Round 1
“We saw the flashes of how we wanted to play out there, but we just need to be a bit more resilient in defence. I was pretty excited by what I saw. I was really happy with how our young girls performed, I think we’re gonna get a lot better and in a couple of weeks we’ll be a totally different side.” – Dragons coach Jamie Soward.
Dragons: Round 1
What's Next
The Knights host the Cowboys at Belmore Sports Ground in Round 2 while the Dragons have a home game against the Eels at WIN Stadium.
English international Georgia Roche is expected to make her NRLW debut for the Knights against the Cowboys at Belmore next Sunday, while star forward Hannah Southwell may also be fit.
Lock forward Laishon Albert-Jones will miss the clash under the NRL’s 11-day HIA stand-down policy.