She was sorely missed last week and the return of sharpshooter Rachael Pearson for Sunday's semi-final showdown with Gold Coast is a welcome relief for Dragons coach Jamie Soward.
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Pearson left the field midway through the Dragons' round-four thumping of Newcastle, with her side leaving 16 points out on the park after going a collective 1/9 off the tee.
The Dragons scored four tries to two against the Roosters last week, but still only snuck home by six after going 0/4 conversions in Pearson's absence.
Extra points are crucial in the finals pressure-cooker, making Pearson's return from niggling back soreness a major boost, while her steady hand has also been missed with the footy.
"It's fine. It just needed a rest," Pearson said.
"I'm 28 and all this intense training and games is pretty new for me and left it a bit sore.
"I could've played last week but we decided to give it a rest. I'm ready to go this week."
The Titans have proven the surprise packet this season, knocking off reigning premiers Brisbane in round four and grabbing wins over the Knights and Roosters en route to a finals berth in their inaugural season.
The Dragons claimed their first meeting, outlasting the NRLW newbies 20-12 in a round-one slugfest.
They'll start favourites given their run since, but Pearson said her side aren't drawing anything from pre-game favouritism.
"We don't read much into that," she said.
"We're a strong team on and off the field. Sowie's great with game plans and we'll just prepare the way we have every week."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
