Riding high after a dominant 40-6 victory over the Wenty Magpies in the opening round, the Illawarra Steelers are determined to continue their winning ways this Sunday in Round 2 of the NSWRL Women’s Premiership.
They’ll square off against local rivals, the St George Dragons, at Kogarah in what promises to be a fiercely contested derby.
The Steelers will field an unchanged 17 as they chase a fourth consecutive victory against a Dragons outfit who are coming off a narrow 26-20 win over the Bulldogs.
Hat-Trick Hero
Winger Kiara Kostovski (pictured, far right) scored a hat-trick in the season opener, and said her experience through the Lisa Fiaola Cup in 2024, and captaining the Tarsha Gale Cup squad earlier in the year, has helped her confidence heading into the premiership season.
“Yeah, definitely competing against women older than me is a little bit of a step up, but I think I’ve just brought in the confidence that I had from the Tarsha Gale Cup into this season,” Kostovski said.
Having played under Head Coach Courtney Crawford for the past two Tarsha Gale Cup seasons, Kostovski says she’s gained the confidence to adapt and play eyes-up footy.
“Just backing my ability to play wherever I play. I think my coach, Courtney, always says back your ability wherever you play.”
Kostovski has played fourteen games for the Illawarra Steelers in the open women’s grade, after making her debut in 2024 as a 17-year-old, with last Sunday’s match being her first hat-trick game.
The now 19-year-old believes the win was a confidence boost to not just herself, but the entire team heading into the local derby.
“I think we started off really well, being our first game, we connected really well. All of us played our role for the team,” Kostovski said.
“First round, getting three tries boosts the confidence up and heading into round two, hopefully we can perform the same.
Kostosvki says the plan is much the same as last week heading into the match against the Red V.
“I think just playing consistent footy, building my confidence and bonding with the girls, forming that good connection.”
Stepping Up During Origin
With Crawford away on Under-19s State of Origin duties, assistant coach Jade Etherden has been handed the reins, believing the dominant win against the Wenty Magpies is a positive sign for the upcoming game.
“Yeah, there was a lot of positives for us. It was a really good start to the season, obviously,” Etherden said.
“We want to get a win, but there’s a lot of positives to take out of it and plenty of things to work on heading into our next round.”
Turning focus to the local derby, Etherden emphasised no team can be taken for granted in the competition.
“It’s always competitive when you come up against teams like this,” Etherden said.
“We want to beat them, and we want to show them what the standard is in this competition.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 1.00pm Sunday at Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah.
Words: Harrison Mellare
Photo credit: Denis Ivaneza