The Temora Rugby Union Club’s women’s side (Tuskerettes) moved a step closer to securing the Central West Rugby Union South West Fuels Cup minor premiership following a victory in their top-of-the-ladder clash. The Tuskerettes defeated the second-placed Grenfell Pink Panthers, 45-5, in their away game at Bembrick Oval last Saturday. Returning from a two-week break due to byes, the ladder leaders produced a polished performance to move nine competition points clear. The Tuskerettes took full advantage of the Grenfell side missing some key players due to injuries, dominating from the start. Early in the game, the Tuskerettes were camped inside Grenfell’s half before Brianna Chown crashed over the line through heavy traffic to open the scoring. The Tuskerettes’ coach Bill McCrone said his side continued to pile on the pressure, stretching their opponents across the field. While Grenfell produced several desperate cover tackles to deny certain tries, the Tuskerettes maintained possession and eventually Maddie Miller powered over from the back of a ruck to extend the margin. “Our next try came in similar fashion,” McCrone said. “After threatening with a backline movement, the ball was shifted to Monique Kitchener on the short side, where she beat the remaining defenders to score. “Kitchener crossed again just before halftime, once more exploiting the blind side before racing away to the tryline. “Molly Greenham added three conversions to give us a deserved 26-0 lead at the break.” McCrone delivered his halftime team talk, asking his players to continue playing expansive football and the Tuskerettes delivered exactly that. “Our attacking width stretched the Grenfell defence, creating space through the middle for Sam Jordan, who shrugged off a one-on-one tackle before sprinting away to score,” he said. “A rare error handed Grenfell a period of sustained possession, and after defending for much of the afternoon, the Pink Panthers found some energy and space out wide to score their only try of the match.” Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished as the Tuskerettes regained control. “We quickly regained control after conceding, with Kitchener completing a well-deserved hat-trick with a strong run breaking through the defensive line and winning the race to the tryline,” McCrone said. “Kaesha Maxwell rounded out the scoring when she burst through defenders from halfway before racing away to score.” Chown was named Players’ Player after “producing a mountain of defensive work through the middle” and Kitchener's hat-trick capped another outstanding performance. The Tuskerettes’ outside backs were also influential, with Kaesha and Mylah Maxwell combining effectively with Caitlin Treble and Abbee Piggott to create numerous attacking opportunities. The win leaves the Tuskerettes needing just one victory from their remaining two games to secure the minor premiership. They will have their first chance to wrap it up on Saturday when they host the Young Yabbettes in a home game starting at 1.30pm at the Temora Recreation Ground.
