Quincy's quest: Dodd hoping for third time lucky in decider

It has been a big year for Cronulla hooker Quincy Dodd who is hoping her third visit to the grand final stage will see her finally able to claim the coveted silverware.

Dodd’s Sharks will come up against her former side the Roosters, the side she played for when she lost to the Broncos in 2020. The Cronulla-Caringbah junior also previously lost in another grand final featuring the Roosters, coming off second best in 2021 when she played for the Dragons.

This Sunday’s game however was about more than just winning a premiership for the NSW Origin representative, it was also about representing where she grew up, played her first game of rugby league and it’s where she believes she plays her “best footy”. 

“It’s another game of football, but it also it's a big game, and especially for everyone else around in Cronulla as well as the community,” Dodd said.

“I do it for my mob. I do it for family, and it's for everyone else that really matters. So yeah, one more job.

“The club means a lot [to me], I know as a young girl there wasn't pathways for us and then getting to play Tarsha Gayle [for the Sharks] when I was 17/18, it was a great kickstart for my career.

“Obviously, now we've got Lisa Fiaola (Under 17 competition) and down at my local club Cronulla-Caringbah, there are younger age groups for women in the sport as well.

“It’s so exciting, but it's just for the next generation for me.

“I know when I go out and play, I do it for them and I want to make sure that there's a great pathway for them to be in the position where we're at the moment.

“It will get to 17 teams in the future and I want to make sure that there is a pathway for everyone.”

Dodd – whose season began with a bang when she co-captained the Indigenous All Stars to a strong win over the Māori All Stars in February this year – is now in her sixth season in the NRLW, and credits her team’s success to foundations they were able to build throughout pre-season.

Being able to reflect on those tough moments when they had their low period towards the back end of the season helped the squad to regroup and turn around a three-game losing streak to stun the minor premiers the Broncos in their semi-final match last week.

“It's been ticking for a while for us to get here and I feel like we've been building from last year as well,” Dodd said.

“It started with the start of the year, we had a great camp, and we just connected as one, and that really showed this season.”

Dodd also credited the leadership of captain Tiana Penitani who has been in the form of her career.

“Tiana is great. She's always been a leader in my eyes, on and off the field. She's always there as someone to talk to,” Dodd said.

“Off the field, I'll go talk to her about anything, and she's always there, a phone call away.

“But on the field she does, she runs hard, she has those tough carries, she shoots up in defence.

“She does everything that she does for this team, and we just got off the back of her, she goes; we go. I'm happy to go all the way with her.”

The way the Sharks were able to turn around their form last week in Brisbane was made all the more remarkable given they were missing the experience of powerhouse second-rower Holli Wheeler, who was suspended for the match.

The former Australian representative has been named to start this week and is another teammate that Dodd thinks deserves high praise for her professionalism and leadership.

“Holli's a great player, she's been around the game for so long now and I've actually been fortunate to play with her at Dragons as well,” Dodd said.

“She just is a great leader in this game and obviously with these younger girls, she pulls them aside at training, she does everything she does to help these girls.

“That's something really exciting to see in women's sport, because you don't see it every day, so it's cool that we can do it in this sport.

“She's just a weapon for us. She obviously was really upset that she couldn't play (against the Broncos), but we did it for her as well.

“She's a part of this team, it took the whole squad to get us here, so we've got one more job and I'm sure she's ready to play.”

Having played for the Roosters and against them before in a grand final, Dodd believes she is up for whatever they throw at her on the day and she is heading into this next game full of confidence despite going in as underdogs.

“It's going to be a hard game,” Dodd said. “To win the comp, we have to win the game anyway, so we have to beat everyone.

“We've got one more job.

“It's a whole 70 minutes, so can’t leave anything out there.

“Roosters is my one of my former clubs and respect to them fully, but I'd love to win against them.”