Centre Jaime Chapman helped herself to a hat-trick as the Brisbane Broncos opened their NRLW account for 2022 with a 22-4 win over the Titans on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides headed to Moreton Daily Stadium with 0-2 records but with Chapman and Chelsea Lenarduzzi leading the way it was the Broncos who broke their duck in style.
The Broncos opened the scoring in the 10th minute when centre Chapman showed great strength to carry Apii Nicholls and Madison Bartlett over the line for her first try of the season.
Six minutes later the Broncos went further ahead when Lenarduzzi took five Titans defenders across the line with her to make it 8-0 but Shakiah Tungai missed a relatively easy conversion.
A high tackle penalty against Jessika Elliston gave the Broncos a golden opportunity to bag their third try and Chapman again displayed her speed and power to grab her second.
Chapman opens the scoring
A penalty for crowding in the play the ball handed Ali Brigginshaw a shot to make it 14-0 at the break but she was unable to land the shot so Brisbane went to the sheds up by 12.
The Titans struck first after the break when Lauren Brown and Hagiga Mosby combined to put Madison Bartlett over on the right hand side.
It took the Broncos just three minutes to answer back when centre Shenae Ciesiolka got outside Evania Pelite and plunged over to make it 18-4.
Clever shift gets Titans first
Come the 51st minute and Chapman had her hat-trick courtesy of an Amber Hall offload as the Broncos raced out to 22-4.
Jada Ferguson looked to have added a sixth try for the Broncos with eight minutes to play but the bunker ruled a double movement.
Lenarduzzi was taken the field as a precaution with six minutes to play but she had well and truly done her job alongside Tallisha Harden, who ran for 134 metres.
Fancy footwork gets Chapman's second
Match Snapshot
- Brisbane's first tryscorer Jaime Chapman won the Trish Hina Medal as player of the match in this year's All Stars game.
- Broncos winger Shakiah Tungai left the field in the 25th minute for a HIA after a collision with Tiana Raftstrand-Smith. She was unable to return.
- Hannah Larsson made her NRLW debut when she came onto the field when Tungai was taken for a HIA.
- Titans winger Madison Bartlett is the leading tryscorer in NRLW history with nine tries.
- Broncos centre Jaime Chapman gave the Titans defence nightmares all day, coming up with an incredible 15 tackle breaks.
Raftstrand-Smith with the bone rattler
- Georgia Hale worked herself to a standstill with 49 tackles and only one miss for the Titans.
- Jaime Chapman became the third Bronco to score a NRLW hat-trick after Tamika Upton and Kimiora Breayley-Nati.
- The Broncos dominated possession 60 per cent to the Titans' 40 per cent.
- Titans youngster Hailee-Jay Maunsell left the field in the 64th minute for a HIA.
- Titans fullback Apii Nicholls tried hard all day with 125 metres from 12 runs.
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Play of the Game
Broncos prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi produced a dominant first half, making 79 metres from 10 runs and busting six tackles. One of the mainstays of the Broncos since the competition's inception, Lenarduzzi came up with barnstorming try in the 16th minute when she carried half the Titans team over the line with her. The 26-year-old came into the game averaging 119 metres for the three-time premiers and well and truly exceeded that with 169 metres.
Lenarduzzi will not be stopped
What They Said
"The field was dry in patches but the wind makes it tough. They are always tough conditions when you are trying to get on the front foot and you are putting up a kick and it's nearly going backwards but I thought the first half we did exactly what we wanted to do in terms of turning them around and that's what we can do. Maybe we perform better under pressure, you know do-or-die and we show up so from now on in, every game we just have to get better. We are still only scratching the surface of what we can actually do." - Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw
NRLW Broncos: Round 3
"The errors, the late penalties, what we are doing out there it doesn't look like we've got much direction. We spoke at half-time about having faith in what we are doing, our process, and we thought we were still in it. Our second halves have been good the first two weeks so let's put that half behind us and start again and we did, those first few sets in the second half were good and we got some points and then we made an error of the kick-off where we could have had a penalty on halfway and gone back down, but we didn't recover from that error and I don't know what the rest of that game was." - Titans coach Karyn Murphy
NRLW Titans: Round 3
What's Next
The Broncos host the Dragons in Round 4 while the Titans tackle the Eels. Times and venues for Round 4 will be finalised once the draw is known for week one of the NRL finals series.