Knights blow Tigers off park with stellar first half

A scintillating five-try effort through the opening half hour of the match set the Knights up for a 34-6 home victory over the Wests Tigers on Sunday afternoon. 

After racing the clock in terms of their scoring output through the first 15 minutes, Newcastle ensured the result was all but settled by the break by running out to a 26-0 lead. 

But while coach Ben Jeffries was likely delighted with his side's opening stanza, their inability to keep the foot down after the break will have been disappointing, while the Knights also face a nervous wait now to find out the extent of suspected ankle injuries for skipper Hannah Southwell and playmaker Georgia Roche, which ruled them out in the first half. 

Winger Sheridan Gallagher torched a rejigged Wests Tigers left side to score a first half double, but the fact that she only finished with a pair of four-pointers was miraculous given she had five other scoring opportunities ruled out either by the match officials or errors with an open line in front of her.  

Having come into the game having lost their last 12 games, a calamitous start was the last thing the Wests Tigers could afford, but they got just that when Tess Staines flung a wayward pass to nobody in the in-goal area.

Hannah Southwell fell on that mistake for the easiest try she's ever likely to score and plenty more joy soon followed for the faithful in attendance at McDonald Jones Stadium. 

Gallagher marked her return from injury with a try after burning her opposite number down the right-hand flank to make it 10-0 inside eight minutes. 

While the Wests Tigers were granted a temporary reprieve when Gallagher fumbled the ball in her second trip over the line minutes later, by the 14th minute Newcastle were at it again through Roche after she backed up a Tenika Willison break down the left edge. 

Further strikes from Lilly-Ann White and Gallagher on opposite sides of the field, stretched the lead to 26, and it could have been even more if not for two further Newcastle try claims being ruled out due to forward passes in the final five minutes of the half. 

There was a marked improvement from the visitors in the second period and in addition to holding Newcastle scoreless until the 63rd minute, they got one back through hooker Ebony Prior. 

After a spate of blown opportunities the Knights finally found a sixth through Kayla Romaniuk, before Tamika Upton added a late strike to make it 34-6.