The Knights and Cowboys kick off a NRLW double-header at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday, with Newcastle sure to be full of confidence after starting their Premiership defence with a victory last week.
Three tries in each half propelled Ronald Griffiths’ side to a 32-16 win over the Dragons, with star fullback Tamika Upton leading the charge with a typically busy effort from the back which included 239 run metres, a try assist and two line break assists.
But with 36 missed tackles on the day and 10 errors, there is plenty of room for improvement ahead of facing competition newcomers North Queensland.
The Cowboys fought bravely in a 16-6 defeat to Queensland rivals the Titans, but were made to pay for some poor first-up contact, which saw them miss 49 tackles, and it’s an area they’ll need to fix quickly ahead of taking on the Knights.
With a fair chunk of Ben Jeffries’ side having appeared at NRLW level for the first time last week, the group are likely to be better for the run this time around.
Newcastle are 4-4 in games away from their home patch at McDonald Jones Stadium since entering the competition in the 2021 season.
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Team News
Knights: Skipper Hannah Southwell's comeback from an ACL injury has been put on hold after she was left out of the 17 an hour before kick-off. Simone Karapani starts at prop and Tayla Predebon reverts to the bench, with the side otherwise as named mid-week.
Cowboys: A late reshuffle sees China Polata move from the wing to prop, with Jataya Faifua the new addition on the flank. Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly (knee) dropped out of the squad in the 24-hour update, with Vitalina Naikore coming in on the wing as replacement for the suspended Mia Middleton. PNG Orchids representative Essay Banu also dropped off the bench and is replaced by April Ngatupuna. After being a late inclusion in the run-on side last week, Krystal Blackwell keeps the five-eighth job ahead of returning Tahlulah Tillett who has been left out of the final squad.
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Stat Attack
- With victory last week, the Knights are now undefeated in their last four appearances.
- The Cowboys’ 49 missed tackles last week was the most by any team in Round 1.
- Newcastle and North Queensland each have 17 players under the age of 23 in their squads, which is the most in the NRLW.