SISTAZ UNITE TO CLAIM TITLE UNBEATEN
DARWIN Sistaz took full advantage of early scores to seal both an unbeaten season and the 2020 NRL NT women’s premiership with a 36-16 win over Palmerston Raiders.
Sistaz came into the encounter with the same intensity that they’ve brought all season, scoring three quick tries, including a Tahlia Corrie brace and the first of three for the season’s top tryscorer La-Toniya Norris-Addo.
The Raiders, making history by being in their first women’s grand final, clawed back a try through Ruti
Faatoafe to avoid a scoreless half, but their opponents were back in force soon after.
Norris-Addo found room on the left wing to score her second, followed by a Bianca Stokes crash-ball effort to put her side 20 points ahead at halftime.
It was Raiders who scored first in the second half through Ayesha Kay, chasing her own kick into the in-goal area and beating the opposition defence in touching down the ball.
However, Sistaz struck back soon after with Norris-Addo feeding her centre partner Danielle Ponter through a gap for another try.
After a series of back-and-forth efforts with neither side finding purchase, it was a decisive effort from Palmerston co-captain Faatoafe which narrowed the score.
But it was ultimately not enough to bring Raiders back into the fight and a final Norris-Addo try sealed the match and the premiership for Sistaz.
Sistaz captain Bianca Scrymgour was ecstatic to see her team back at the top, feeling the undefeated season came down to the team effort from the entire side.
“I have no words, it’s been a long time coming for us from 2016. We’re back and it feels great,” Scrymgour told the Sunday Territorian.
“At the end of the day this win came from our hard work and the fact that we wanted it more.
“We’re Sistaz and that speaks for itself. We’ve always got each others’ backs and that’s where the fire comes from and it comes from our supporters as well.
“For us it’s all hard work. We asked for commitment and 110 per cent in training and every single one of us did that and that speaks to where we are now.”