3 minute read
Brisbane wingers Julia Robinson and Stacey Waaka are two excitement machines to watch in the blockbuster NRLW clash with Newcastle on Sunday.
In the early 2000s Brisbane's NRL side had Lote Tuqiri and Wendell Sailor creating havoc, but the current NRLW team boast a destructive duo of their own.
Broncos wingers Stacey Waaka and Julia Robinson have been on fire this year and will be crucial to beating two-time premiership winners Newcastle away on Sunday.
In sx games, Jillaroos star Robinson has five tries, eight line breaks and is averaging 227m per match.
New Zealand dual Rugby Sevens Olympic gold medal winner Waaka has played just four matches and has three tries, three line breaks and is averaging 130m.
"Stacey brings a lot of confidence to our team without even knowing it, just with her experience and the calibre of athlete that she is," Broncos lock Romy Teitzel said.
"She has brought great athleticism to the wing spot, and on the other edge we have Robbo. We have two of the best wingers in the game.
"Robbo has been running close to 200m every single time. They make it so much easier for our jobs as a middle (forward) to roll up the field."
The Broncos lost their opening two matches of the season, but since Waaka arrived from Paris they have won four in a row to be level with the Knights on eight points in equal second spot.
"The four wins in a row has been very exciting," Teitzel said.
"We started this year very similar to last year and put ourselves under a fair bit of pressure, but we have been able to build some momentum.
"Going to Newcastle is going to be a big test."
A win over the Knights, which will require limiting the impact of star fullback Tamika Upton, would give the Broncos further claims to being premiership contenders.
Teitzel is a former Knights captain and won a title with the club in 2022, so she is well aware of what a victory would do.
"It would build that confidence to another level," she said.
"Newcastle have won the last two premierships, so they are probably the epitome of the team to beat.
"We knows that Meeks (Upton) is probably the best player in the game at the moment and she can make something out of nothing.
"Playing my old team and against my mates makes it that little bit better.
"In any sport you ride the highs and lows, and I definitely did that at Newcastle. I was lucky to win a premiership there, but I am a Bronco now and I want to win a premiership here. The first step is to go and beat Newcastle."
Round seven of the NRLW kicks off on Saturday with North Queensland hosting cellar dwellers Wests Tigers, ahead of Canberra travelling to St George Illawarra.
On Sunday the undefeated Cronulla host fourth-placed Sydney Roosters, before last year's grand finalists Gold Coast travel to Parramatta, with both sides just outside the top four and needing a win to keep finals hopes alive.
