Roosters Soar to Season-Opening Win on the Sunshine Coast

The Roosters looked to get off to a red-hot start, sending the ball right through Jessica Sergis to find Jayme Fressard unmarked on the wing who leapt into the corner. Originally awarded a try, the play was reviewed, determining the speedy winger put her foot into touch before grounding the ball. 

Two minutes later the Tricolours found a way through, with Keeley Davis supplying Millie Boyle a short ball from dummy half. Charging towards the try-line, the powerful prop muscled her way over for her first try in Red, White and Blue. Jocelyn Kelleher converted the try, establishing a six-point lead. 

A crafty attacking play from the visitors saw them double their advantage four minutes later with Davis sending the ball to Mya Hill-Moana, who turned back on the inside to find Corban Baxter charging up the middle. 

In her NRLW return, Baxter sprinted onto the short-ball crossing virtually untouched, with Kelleher kicking the conversion to make the score 12-0. 

Back-to-back penalties in the 15th minute gave the Roosters an opportunity to find more points, with Kelleher weaving through the scattered Broncos' defence before flicking a pass to Keilee Joseph, who twisted through a tackle to plant the ball down. 

An incredible try-saving tackle from Fressard halted Brisbane centre Mele Hufanga after she gathered a loose ball and raced 50 metres downfield. But later in the set the Broncos found their first points of the season, sending the ball left to Tazmin Gray who crashed over. Ali Brigginshaw converted the try from the sideline, cutting the deficit to 12. 

Brigginshaw set Gray up for a double six minutes later, selling a dummy before finding the back-rower with a short-ball. The Broncos Skipper added the extras to make the margin six.

Four minutes later, the Roosters opted to run the ball on the last, passing to Sergis who ducked through the grasp of Gale Broughton to spin her way over the stripe. Kelleher's conversion waved away, leaving the score at 22-12. 

Brigginshaw took matters into her own hands to bring Brisbane within range before half-time with a skilful chip-and-chase, regathering the ball and crashing over under the uprights - converting her own try after the siren to make the difference four. 

The Tricolours came out of the sheds firing to construct a superb passage of play in the 41st minute as Kelleher produced a needle-threading grubber that bounced into the hands of Sergis, who offloaded over the top to Baxter for a double. 

A brilliant 40/30 kick from Kelleher carried the Roosters into good field position six minutes later, before the visitors received more possession after a Broncos knock-on. 

Passing the ball from the left edge to the right, Olivia Kernick delivered a silky pass to Sergis who beat her opposite number to claim her second try of the evening. 

In the 53rd minute, Broncos winger Ashleigh Werner was sent off for biting Fressard on the arm while the Roosters speedster was making a tackle. 

A one-on-one strip by Sergis seemed to set Fressard up for her first try of the season after the tenacious centre chased down a chip kick and ripped it from the Broncos grasp, before offloading to her winger, but the Bunker deemed a handling error in the grounding.

With two minutes remaining, Tarryn Aiken and Isabelle Kelly combined down the left edge to bring the Tricolours into good field position before the five-eighth flicked a pass to Joeli Morris, who gathered the ball off the turf and crashed over for her first NRLW try. Kelleher kicked the conversion to make the score 36-18. 

Sydney Roosters 36 (Millie Boyle, Corban Baxter 2, Keilee Joseph, Jessica Sergis 2, Joeli Morris tries, Jocelyn Kelleher 4 goals) def Brisbane Broncos 18 (Tazmin Gray 2, Ali Brigginshaw tries, Ali Brigginshaw 3 goals)