Sharks searching for deep waters and their best selves at first ever NRLW Magic Round

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

As the NRLW heads to Newcastle for the competition's first-ever Magic Round, the battle for the premiership increasingly seems like a race between two teams.
Through the first month of the premiership, the Roosters and Broncos have been the class of the league, and even though it is early days, a meeting between the two on grand final day is beginning to feel inevitable.
But a longer season means there are more times for teams to rise and fall, and more time to prove themselves against the two giants.
This week, it will be Cronulla's turn to ride the lightning as it faces Brisbane on Saturday afternoon in what shapes as the marquee fixture of the round.
Along with Newcastle and North Queensland, which are yet to play either of the top two, Cronulla is one of the teams more likely to break up the duopoly at the top of the ladder.
Tony Herman's side has been a little shaky through four games, alternating wins and losses, and is yet to play to its full talents, but as last year's runners-up, has as good a pedigree as any to trouble the free-wheeling Queenslanders.
In their last meeting in the 2024 finals series, the Broncos entered as heavy favourites only to lose 14-0 to the physical Sharks, and it's a performance the NSW team are chasing again as they look to solidify their season.
"We're excited for the challenge — they're second on the ladder, flying high and playing some incredible footy," said Sharks captain Tiana Penitani Gray.
"We know who the key playmakers and key threats are, and we want to play the long game, and drag them into some deep water.
"When you look at our competition, the most exciting thing about it is anyone can win on a good day.
"Last year, we were able to execute our game plan nearly perfectly, we have to do it again, but we know we can win, we can beat any team in this competition on our day, but we're still finding that at the moment.
"We're nowhere near as good as we can be, we haven't hit our best, or got anywhere near our best this season — we're still building, but we have the blueprint."
The Broncos are a different beast from last year, due mainly to the return of fullback Tamika Upton.
They've scored the most points in the league and conceded the fewest, and while the Knights and Cowboys boast similar 3-1 records, Brisbane's only loss came in the blockbuster clash with the Roosters two weeks ago.
It will take a vast improvement from Cronulla if it is to trouble Brisbane, let alone win. The Sharks' two wins in 2025 have come against the Raiders and Tigers, which are currently anchored at the bottom of the ladder.
But the extended length of the season gives teams like the Sharks a chance to evolve through the campaign.
With three players departing from last year's grand final side, including halfback Tayla Preston, cohesion has been an issue for Cronulla, but it is a problem time can solve.
"We like the long game, we like the grinding footy, we have to earn the right to play, but we can't do that if we give away yardage penalties and cheap errors," Penitani Gray said.
"It's simple, it's not some complex secret, but some of the girls come from systems where it's a bit different.
"With the longer season, you have more time to find your feet, but in saying that, we don't want any more early losses.
"It'll put us under too much pressure late in the season when we've got some really tough matches, we have to get runs on the board."
The Broncos-Sharks match will be the final game of Saturday's triple-header at Hunter Stadium, with another to follow on Sunday.
With Magic Round growing each year in the men's competition since it was introduced in 2019, the NRLW equivalent gives the women's game the kind of standalone, marquee event that can boost both its profile and prestige.
"The last two men's Magic Rounds have opened with the women's State of Origin, but having our own is really exciting," Penitani Gray said.
"The NRLW didn't exist that long ago, and being where we are now in the game and having our own Magic Round on the calendar is a reflection of how much the game is growing.
"With 12 teams now, we're in a position where we can stand on our own — we have our own genuine fanbase that's not just the diehard men's fans who follow their club teams in the women's game.
"It's why we're in a position to do this."