One of the Steelers and Dragons favourite sons Brad Mackay declared Illawarra had earned the better of the NRL club joint venture with St George, when the $50 million high performance centre to be built in Wollongong was announced.
And it’s clear the region remains the dominant force in the women’s game after the star-studded Steelers belted the Dragons 40-6 in Saturday’s NSW premiership clash at Kogarah.
Illawarra piled on seven tries in the opening 24 minutes to march to a 34-nil lead at half-time, including a double to NRLW and Origin hooker Keeley Davis.
Rose Tafengatoto extended the advantage in the second half, before Georgina Brooker belatedly return fire in the 59th minute.
“They’re our sister club and when you’re playing against your sister you always want to bring your best game,” Steelers coach Alicia-Kate Hawke said.
“There’s no doubt the Dragons are building their team and I know people talk about our team being stacked, but it just shows all the hard work we’ve done to have so many Illawarra juniors playing for the Steelers.
“Our first half was impressive, we completed at 85 per cent and picked the right moments to execute and put points on.
“But we missed an opportunity to go on with it in the second half and we’ve got to work on our consistency with some big games coming up.”
The victory pushes the Steelers to second on the NSW ladder, with key clashes against the Bulldogs and Tigers waiting. Hawke praised the efforts of versatile lock Jade Etherden, winger Olivia Vale and Sharna Piccinelli, the daughter of Steelers forward Neil.
She said the Steelers still have plenty of improvement in them, after NSW halfback Rachael Pearson played her second game for the team, alongside other representative talent Taliah Fuimaono, Keele Browne and Davis.
“We’re still developing combinations and there’s still plenty of spots up for grabs in the team,” Hawke said.
Meanwhile, the Steelers SG Ball led 10-0 early through tries to captain Dylan Egan and Te Umuariki Heremia-Tukereto before the Dragons hit back with four unanswered tries, posting a 24-10 win.
In Tarsha Gale Cup, the Steelers scored nine tries in their 46-0 win over the Dragons, including doubles to Ella Fisher, Darcy Eade and Sulieti Ahio.
Words | Tim Barrow, courtesy of Illawarra Mercury