Gutsy Sistaz win marred by Soares’ injury
DARWIN Sistaz pulled through to beat Nightcliff Dragons 14-8, but a late injury hindered what was shaping up to be a thrilling encounter.
Sistaz showed their ability right from the whistle, with Talia Corrie causing a quick turnover following kick-off.
That gave the reigning premiers the chance to power up the field and soon enough Tyla Kingdon was crashing over.
But Nightcliff had come to play and, once they found their feet, they were charging down the line themselves with Merinda Johnson scoring.
Sistaz were forced to defend from there, with Nightcliff coming and coming, only being denied another try when Nani Vakacavu lost control of the ball on the line.
That gave Sistaz a chance to exit their half and go on the charge once again, resulting in a try for the hard-running Georgina Garling.
However, a penalty goal from the accurate boot of Ella Cole ensured that Dragons would go into halftime level.
In the second stanza, Sistaz stalwart Bianca Stokes showed why she is so dangerous with ball in hand, darting through the Dragons’ defence to put her side ahead.
But it was in trying to prevent that try that Nightcliff’s Breanna Soares landed badly on her tailbone, causing the game to be called off with 15 minutes still on the clock.
Sistaz captain Bianca Scrymgour said the win put her side in a strong position heading into finals.
“Definitely not how you want a game to end but for us a win is what we needed,” Scrymgour said.
“The girls are on a high right now, particularly after last week’s game and obviously with the bye next week a win heading into finals will give us plenty of confidence.
“Our focus was on our defence.”