Caslick inspires Roosters to crow
STAR recruit Charlotte Caslick showed why she’s regarded as one of the best athletes in the nation as she helped guide the Roosters to an upset 18-4 win over the Dragons in the NRLW season opener.
Caslick, who won gold for Australia in rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics, dispelled any fitness concerns with a team-high 134m in a performance that should put the rest of the competition on notice.
The Roosters didn’t win a game in 2019 but looked much better in Canberra against a Dragons side looking to build on last year’s grand final appearance as well as the Nines title earlier in the season.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the effort out there. There were some execution dramas … but the way they dug in and defended their line and worked hard for each other, that’s Roosters footy,” Roosters coach Jamie Feeney said.
St George Illawarra’s starstudded backline was kept quiet, with Jess Sergis hobbling through the second half with an ankle injury.
In positive signs for the Red V, Elsie Albert was easily the best forward with a stack of powerful runs and bruising hits in defence, while former Bronco Steph Hancock provided them with starch in the middle.
“The Roosters just had that 10 per cent more in them at times when we didn’t,” Dragons coach Daniel Lacey said.
It’s taken just 60 minutes for Caslick to prove she can more than handle rugby league.
The step up in endurance from sevens to NRLW should have been a challenge, but instead she made it look easy on debut.
The Roosters’ first two tries came from dummy-half, but Caslick’s fingerprints were all over the sealer as she popped a late offload to set up Corban McGregor out wide.
You could tell from the outset that she wasn’t going to just ease herself into the contest, and by halftime she’d already racked up 110m and a linebreak as she ran riot on the right edge.
The scary thing is she’ll only get better as her combinations develop with her teammates.
“That’s her first ever rugby league game so she’s still learning on the go,” Feeney said.
“Athletically, she’s outstanding so we couldn’t leave her out.”
Both teams will be sweating on the fitness of some of their star players after a brutal afternoon in the nation’s capital.
Botille Vette-Welsh’s Roosters debut lasted just 13 minutes before she was forced off with a hamstring injury.
Reigning Dally M winner Jess Sergis bravely battled on with an ankle injury but will be in doubt for next week’s game, while Jillaroos star Kezie Apps failed an HIA and will be assessed throughout the week.