Broncos star Julia Robinson has eased fears she suffered a broken nose in her side’s NRLW season launch, after coming off second-best in a bruising tackle.
The Jillaroos sensation, shifting to the centres despite her standing as “the best winger in the world” according to Brisbane coach Scott Prince, went for a body and all tackle in a 28-4 triumph of Wests Tigers and was forced off for a head injury assessment after the collision.
She ultimately returned, running for an incredible 244 metres, and while dry blood still shone as she spoke with this masthead, she believed she would be fit to line up next week against the Titans.
“It’s OK, my first initial thought was ‘oh my God, I hope it’s not broken’ because I have my wedding this year, but it feels fine. I just wanted to get straight back out there with the girls.”
Julia Robinson
Robinson’s brief absence opened the door for debutant Shalom Sauaso to take her first strides in the competition, having already forged a formidable standing in rugby union and Rugby 7s.
The 18-year-old did not look overawed by the occasion, coming up with several crunching tackles while running for 86 metres and five tackle busts from just eight carries.
Prince admitted he remained unsure where the Ipswich product’s long-term future lay, given in her maiden appearance she covered centre, lock and prop.
“She’s that sort of talent where she can play anywhere. She looks like she’s played there for the last five to 10 years, and when you get that it’s inspirational for your team. We’re not in a rush to pigeon-hole her in any position.”
Scott Prince on Shalom Sauaso
Backline mayhem
With Shenae Ciesiolka sidelined with a knee injury, and not expected back until round five, Robinson was shifted from the wing on which she has made her name to the centres.
While it split up one of the most notorious combinations in the game, taking her away from opposite centre Mele Huganga – who scored a try while running for 130 metres and two line-breaks – the 27-year-old looms as a strong replacement given her strength in one-on-one situations.
However, Prince said in an ideal world, his superstar flyer would take her place back on the flank.
“I wouldn’t rule it out moving forward, but she is the world’s best winger. There’s an opportunity for Robbo to show what she can do in the centre position, but she is the world’s best winger so I’m not going to take away from what she’s good at.”
Scott Prince
Robinson’s shift opened the door for Kerri Johnson to play her first NRLW game, having jumped across from rugby union.
Scoring twice while running for 174 metres after previously plying her trade for the Auckland Blues, Prince saw the signs of a prospect who could ignite the Broncos’ edge into the future.
“As the game went on, she grew in confidence and took some screamers under pressure with some of their long kicks. In the big games, you want her across all the footy IQ stuff, so she’s a work in progress, but it was great to … forge a combination with Mele on that edge.”
Scott Prince on Kerri Johnson
Hayley Maddick completed a dominant display from Brisbane’s backline, scoring the final try of the game. While she appeared ginger on her ankle after scoring, Prince confirmed it was nothing sinister, despite limping after getting to her feet.
Spinal surgery
After an arm wrestle in the opening half, with Brisbane taking a slender four-point lead into the break, the experience of their spine eventually took over.
The return of Dally M Medal-winning fullback Tamika Upton was instrumental – producing a tackle-busting line-break from deep in her own end before unleashing Johnson for her first try of the afternoon.
Upton, taking on the co-captaincy alongside Ali Brigginshaw, finished with 168 running metres, four line-break assists and three try assists in a colossal display which will have Brisbane’s rivals on high alert for what they could do in 2025.
“We love having Meeks back here, it’s like she never left – she definitely belongs in the Broncos’ colours. She’s just so calm, and we know there’s going to be some great outcomes when she’s got her hands on the ball.”
Juliaa Robinson on Tamika Upton
As Brigginshaw and Gayle Broughton pulled the strings in the halves, the hooker rotation of Jada Ferguson and Destiny Brill went to work in sparking the ruck and working the Tigers’ forwards around the more the clash wore on.
It was Brill’s spark in the first-half which gave the Broncos the lead, throwing two dummies to weave through the defence to score, while Ferguson was constantly probing to eventually put prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi over in the second half.
“I think once we started eating up their middle, that’s when we found our confidence. Jada and Destiny did a great job through that middle, so it will start to click. I wasn’t expecting us to be perfect, we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
Ali Brigginshaw
For the Tigers, it was a new spine combination which came together – including former Cowboys and Titans fullback Jetaya Faifua and five-eighth-turned hooker Pihuka Berryman-Duff.
Aside from a try in the corner to winger Caitlin Turnbull – scooting from dummy-half down an unsuspecting blindside – the attack could not quite click into gear.
However, Tigers coach Brett Kimmorley saw promising signs.
“We had a 50-50 share of the ball in the first-half, we got ourselves into the contest and showed some really good things. Unfortunately in the second half, I thought we were a bit off for the first 10 to 15 minutes in some arm wrestle and collision mentality.”
Brett Kimmorley
Competition rejig?
It has already been a bigger year than ever for the NRLW stars who grace the international and State of Origin arenas, with Tigers skipper Kezie Apps expressing her hope the season would start earlier in the future.
Between the Jillaroos Las Vegas trip and the three-match Blues’ series triumph, the toughest travels and fixtures of the calendar have already taken place, ensuring some players started their club preseasons late and carrying injuries.
“I love being busy, I love how we’ve had footy all year around for us girls. [But] we’re playing our hardest game before we play our NRLW season, so it would be great to have our season before Origin so we have good quality footy before we play one of the hardest games of the year.”
Julia Robinson
Apps, who joined Robinson in featuring in those representative tours, labelled the scheduling as “very disruptive”, but believed Wests would build into their campaign positively.
“You went through pretty much three different types of preseasons and different programming to get to where we are. It’s been quite a long season already … if our season could start earlier that would be lovely, I don’t make the rules though.”
Kezie Apps
