A second-half surge has seen the defending NRLW premiers overcome a half time deadlock to defeat the Dragons 14 – 4.
The Dragons had a strong start to the match, opening with a speedy line break by fullback Bottille Vette-Welsh in the first minute. They looked dangerous at the line a few minutes later, before a crushing tackle by Meg Ward saw winger Steph Mooka thrown over the line.
After some solid defence by both teams, Broncos forward Amber Paris-Hall opened the scoring by powering through the middle in the 12th minute. The Dragons hit back in the 17th minute when a sharp kick by five-eighth Kimiora Nati saw Shakiah Tungai sprint and dive over the line.
Despite some fierce efforts from both sides, including a ground-shaking tackle by rugby convert Tiana Penitani that stopped a try to Bronco’s centre Amy Turner, the deadlock was not broken until the 39th minute when some sliding attack and strong offloads saw Meg Ward score in the corner.
The Dragons looked set to level the score again after skipper Kezie Apps broke the line and sprinted away, but a knock-on saw Tungai denied of a double.
A storming try to veteran Rona Peters in the 48th minute, which was followed by the first successful conversion of the match, saw the Broncos extend their lead that little bit more and seal the win.
While Broncos can be expected to be just as physical and tough next week, the Dragons can be expected to come out firing now that they have some experience together under their belt.
