Veterans on fire as Jillaroos give PNG’s Orchids thrashing

RUGBY league veteran Steph Hancock has kicked off the road to retirement with a bang, scoring a double as the Jillaroos ran away with a 42-4 victory in a historic clash with PNG yesterday.

In what was the first showdown between these two sides – and the introduction of Papua New Guinea to women’s international rugby league – it was the class and experience of Hancock that saw the Australians come away with the win.

Hancock led strongly from the front with her co-captain Renae Kunst and it took just seven minutes for the Australian women to find the tryline through Corban McGregor.

From here, the four-pointers just kept on coming as they stormed to a comfortable victory over the Orchids, with Kunst scoring in the 15th minute and Hancock crossing in the 25th and 35th.

The duo are both retiring after this year’s World Cup and they showed they will do so while at the top of their game.

Coach Brad Donald said it was great to see the pair back to their best after they both fought injuries over the past few seasons.

He said it was especially satisfying to hand Hancock another chance in the green and gold after overlooking her for the May Test against New Zealand.

“It was so great for us to see the likes of Steph Hancock and Renae and some of those mainstays in the team back to their best,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot to do with (Hancock and Kunst) for a very long time. It wasn’t easy to tell Steph that she hadn’t quite made the mark for the May Test.”