Parramatta have claimed an historic win in their debut fixture, Maddie Studdon kicking the first-ever NRLW field goal to give the Eels a 13-12 win over the Knights.
Both teams chanced their arms late in the contest, Newcastle opting for a shift to the left deep in their own half. The ball went to ground, giving Parramatta a scrum feed with a minute left.
Eels interchange player Shirley Mailangi was adamant she’d got the ball to ground in pursuit of a match-winning try, only for the bunker to disagree.
But it didn’t matter, because Parramatta halfback Studdon then booted a field goal to clinch victory in the dying seconds of the match.
READ MORE: ‘Scintillating’ Dragons defence brings down Titans
READ MORE: Brutal head clash punctuates NRLW showdown
READ MORE: What ‘rockstar’ Aussie did for ‘inspired generations’
“We just went back to plan B in case it wasn’t a try. I just said to the girls, ‘I need you to block me, I’m going to go for it’,” Studdon said on Nine’s coverage.
“Once we came together we just knew we had the team, but we’ve still got to grind.”
It had been another brilliant game, capping off a superb triple header of footy.
Therese Aiton put her body on the line more than most, sporting what looked to be a broken cheekbone on the sideline.
https://twitter.com/NRLonNine/status/1497816131951861761
After Romy Teitzel opened the scoring with Newcastle’s first attacking raid of the match, the Eels were over the line three times in the opening 16 minutes but with no points to show for it.
They had what would have been an easy try disallowed for an unnecessary obstruction, another for a double movement and a third for a forward pass.
Bo Vette-Welsh, who was the best player on the park, sliced through the line and fed Tiana Penitani for Parramatta’s first try in the competition.
Phoebe Desmond crashed over after the break to put the home side back in front, but Eels skipper Simaima Taufa restored parity a couple of minutes later.
It was a brilliant advertisement for the game.
Both Parramatta and Newcastle are newly added franchises to the competition, along with the Gold Coast Titans, who had lost to the Dragons earlier.
The Broncos continued their dominant run, beating the Roosters easily in the second game of the day.