St George Illawarra will take on the Roosters in the NRLW grand final, after the Brisbane Broncos empire came crashing down on Sunday.
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The Broncos have won all three women's titles since the competition's inception and claimed the minor premiership again this year.
But the Roosters produced a phenomenal comeback to win 22-16 at Leichhardt Oval.
Such was the level of expectation about the Dragons meeting Brisbane, the prospect was mentioned twice in the St George Illawarra post-game press conference, even though the Broncos-Roosters game was still in the first half.
Instead, the Roosters dominated the second stanza after trailing 16-nil after 13 minutes and will now play the Dragons at Redcliffe, the home of the NRL expansion club the Dolphins, on Sunday.
St George Illawarra booked their spot by defying a late comeback from the Gold Coast Titans at Leichhardt Oval.
The Dragons were cruising with an 18-point lead with 11 minutes remaining, but then suddenly found themselves kicking off with just 20 seconds left and the Gold Coast with one last shot to take the semi-final to golden point.
A tale of two kicks, powerhouse Titans prop Steph Hancock booted the ball to the heavens after scoring her second to keep them alive, but it would be Dragons fullback Emma Tonegato who had the last say, roosting the ball over the sideline to seal a 24-18 win.
Captain Kezie Apps was thrilled to make another NRLW decider, but admitted the Dragons would need to lift to take out their first ever title.
"We need to go up another level," Apps said.
"We make it hard for ourselves and we just need to complete and don't make silly errors and just stick to what works really well for us."
It was hooker Keeley Davis who produced the two most important kicks in play, first to allow Tonegato to chase and dive over, then one for herself to make it 24-6, a margin the Titans could not reel in.
"I love Keeley, she's such a competitor," coach Jamie Soward said.
"The way that she seems the game at times, she shows why she's such a class player and she shows how much growth she's got left in her.
"Those two kicks are just playing footy and we've tried to strip that back for her so she can just go out there.
"She's such a vital piece for us at 21 years of age, that's why she's a vice-captain, so I've got Kez (Apps), Holly (Wheeler) and Keeley in the leadership group, so (halfback) Rach (Pearson) can come in and be Rach.
"Keeley is not the teacher's pet like Kezie thinks, but she's probably close to it."
It might be his first season in charge, but the decider offers Soward a chance to add a premiership as coach to the 2010 title he won with the Dragons as a player.
Soward expects their best is yet to come.
"We've probably got another couple of gears," he said.
"We were just probably just a bit tight and frantic in the first half because of the situation of the game, that's what this game does to you.
"Now that one's out of the way, we can start preparing for the winner."
The Dragons played in the 2019 NRLW grand final where they were beaten 30-6 by the Broncos, who also beat the Roosters in 2018 and 2020.
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
