Harden-led champions tough it out for victory
ENTERING Round 1 with a bare bones team of 13 players is not the ideal way to start a league premiership defence – unless you are Tahnee Norris’ champion Burleigh side.
The Bears had to grit their teeth in the sun for 70 minutes with no subs at Pizzey Park on Saturday, having been subjected to an availability crisis resulting from players needing to attend clashing rugby union and Oztag commitments.
It didn’t stop them conquering an 18-strong Easts side, however, in a courageous 24-12 Southeast Queensland Division 1 victory.
It’s an ominous sign for their rivals, given the mass of quality Bears players due to return as soon as next round against Brothers.
“They have got a lot of ticker, these girls,” coach Norris said. “The core group have been around for a long amount of time so they just get it.
“They tough it out and to do that with just the bare 13 and some of the girls who are not normally in the starting lineup, that was good.”
Captain and lock Tallisha Harden led from the front and Norris heaped praise on the entire forward pack who played through fatigue.
“To play the full 70 minutes in that heat with no subs, they really did a massive amount of work,” she said.
While a brief lapse in the second half allowed the inexperienced Tigers back into the contest, it was a clinical first 35 minutes that set up the win.
“I told them at the start of the game we just needed to play zero mistake football to make sure they didn’t have to defend, otherwise they would have been in trouble, and they did that,” Norris said.