Loophole saves Broncos from disaster that would have flipped title race
Scott Prince will be thankful for a loophole in the match review committee’s sanctions that will make Broncos star Romy Teitzel free to play in the finals.
Teiztel was hit with a careless high contact charge for a tackle on Warriors gun Apii Nicholls during her side’s 52-18 win on Sunday, resulting in a one game ban.
Romy Teitzel in action for the Broncos. NRL Imagery
The sanction came with a favourable clause for the Maroons second-rower, who can pay a $400 fine instead of serving a one game ban if she submits a guilty plea.
The Broncos have yet to confirm if Teitzel will take up that option, but it is highly likely she will to ensure she will be available to face the Knights on Saturday in a semi final.
Teitzel was not the only player who will feature in that semi-final clash that was hit with a charge. Broncos teammate Deleni Paitai was also slapped with a one-game ban for a careless high contact charge along with Knights gun Charley Lahmert.
Lahmert and Paitai also have the option to enter a guilty plea and pay a $400 fine.
The trio will be vital players in their respective teams quest to reach the preliminary final against the ladder-leading Sydney Roosters.
The finals also is a “whole different ball game”, according to Tamika Upton, who was key to helping the Broncos upset the Roosters in last year’s grand final.
Brad Fittler knows how “dangerous” the Roosters are, but he feels the simple reason they are a level above the rest of the competition is due to their fitness.
While other teams have short lull periods during the heat of battle over 70 minutes, the Roosters typically lift and excel to ensure they remain ahead.
Fittler praised coach John Strange for setting the foundations for that to be a standard for his team and also how beautiful his team gels on the field.
But Jillaroos great Allana Ferguson noted that the blueprint to breaking apart the Roosters was exposed by the Bulldogs at Allianz Stadium on Thursday.
The Bulldogs held a two-point lead over the Roosters at half time in that match, leaving Strange’s girls scrambling for an answer.
The Roosters were undefeated at the end of the regular season. Getty Images
The costly sin bin of Canterbury centre Monica Tagoa then flipped the game on its head and helped guide the Roosters to a 42-12 win.
“The Bulldogs showed how to take them on and really challenge them,” Ferguson said on Nine’s NRLW Wrap.
“When they got up in the faces of the Sydney Roosters, a lot of their edge defence came in, pushed up and put them under pressure. You could see that in the Roosters’ football. I thought that was a bit of a blueprint.
“The fact is they couldn’t hold it for the full 70 minutes, and they also had a really costly sin bin which added that extra little bit of fatigue.”
A 17-day break between that win over the Bulldogs and their preliminary final against either the Broncos or Knights is the next challenge the Roosters must face.
Fittler was not too worried by that lengthy break for the Roosters, given most in the team work through similar breaks while playing in the representative arena.
But the undefeated playing group will still have to work through the mental battle of knowing they are hunted heading into the finals series.
“I think it is a good thing (we are being hunted),” Isabelle Kelly admitted on Today.
“Pressure is a privilege. I know that we love that feeling of being able to build consistency and playing at our best, so I think it’s a great (challenge).
“There are a lot of great teams here who are putting themselves up to be in that (premiership-winning) spot.”
One of those is the Gold Coast Titans, who have left the footy world in awe this season thanks to their remarkable rise under coach Karyn Murphy.
Finishing second at the end of the regular season, Ruan Sims has backed the Titans to make it through to the grand final and hopefully test the Roosters.
“I’d love to see Roosters-Titans in the grand final,” she added on NRLW Wrap.
“I think the Titans have done a lot of growing and have changed their football structure since (they played the Roosters in round one).
“So many stars have risen for the Titans ... but I think the Broncos, outside the Titans, are the next cab off the rank that can really push the Roosters.”
The NRLW semi-finals will kick off on Friday night when the Tigers host the Canberra Raiders. The Broncos will take on the Knights on Saturday, while the Titans and Roosters enjoy a week off before the preliminary final.
