The Illawarra Steelers have edged out the Parramatta Eels by two points in a nail-biting 24-22 contest at WIN Stadium, securing their spot inside the top four. Both teams crossed for five tries each, but it was the composure of debutant goal-kicker Georgie Barrett, nailing a crucial sideline conversion in the 57th minute, that proved the difference.
The Weekend Wrap, brought to you by Coal Services
Late-game changes saw captain Mackenzie Lear back in the Steelers squad after missing last week’s game due to a knee laceration, and Kayla Fleming dropping off the bench for former Steelers premiership-winning Tarsha Gale Cup hooker Chelsea Savill to play her first game in Steelers colours for 2026.
Down, But Not Out
The Steelers had a less-than-ideal start to the match, conceding 18 points in under 20 minutes.
Jasmin Morrissey struck first for Parramatta in the left corner, set up through a strong run by fullback Tess Staines, putting the Eels up 4-0 after only two minutes.
More points followed quickly with front rower Rysh’e Fa’amausili snagging a first-half double in just four minutes, one through a crash play near the posts, and the other from a dummy half scoot on an unsuspecting Illawarra defence, extending their lead to 14-0 after one successful conversion attempt by the two-try scorer.
Things only got worse for Illawarra as a short side play saw NRLW veteran Taneka Todhunter over the line in the 18th minute for Parramatta’s fourth try and a scoreboard of 18-0.
Illawarra sparked their comeback in the 24th minute, when centre Tyra Ekepati’s powerful sideline burst took them deep into Eels’ territory. A sweeping, length-of-the-field movement from right to left then found Herewaka Pohatu, who finished off the play with her first try of the match.
The Steelers continued their push through the right side once again, this time through a connection between fullback Tayleah Handcock and winger Montaya Hudson (pictured), with the latter going over to bridge the gap and bring the score to 18-10.
Despite momentum gained, the Steelers would head into the sheds conceding another try after Eels’ winger Freedom Crichton Ropati split the middle, racing 55 metres to score and put Illawarra down at halftime 22-10.
Try Time: Steelers winger Montaya Hudson finishes off a crisp backline movement down the right side.
The Fight Back
The second half was a different story for the Steelers, scoring three unanswered tries, including a try in the opening minute after five-eighth Skye Spencer found a gap in the Eels’ defence, narrowing the margin to 22-14.
Despite a strong push by Parramatta, the Steelers pushed even harder to close the gap down to tie the game up twenty-two points apiece, both through tries by second rower Gwen Swann.
The first came in the 44th minute through a crash play in the middle, and the other in the 56th minute after fighting off four defenders to tie the game with a kick to come.
With Tayleah Handcock down in back play, Barrett stepped up to take the conversion, her first of the season and her NSW Women’s Premiership career. She successfully converted, taking the lead 24-22 after 57 minutes of pure grit.
Neither side could convert late opportunities in a tense final 15 minutes, as errors and penalties mounted. Despite the pressure, the Steelers dug deep to secure their hard-earned fourth win of the season.
Shoulder to the Wheel
Head Coach Courtney Crawford said despite the hard-fought win, there was still plenty to improve on.
“That first half we just really hurt ourselves defensively; we weren’t willing to put our shoulder where it hurts and just let them come straight through us,” Crawford said.
“I just challenged them at halftime and said that we can be the team that looks back and feels sorry for ourselves or we can be the team that looks forward and know that in the next 35 minutes we’ve got what it takes to get the result.
“It was pleasing to be able to do that, but we’ve got to be better for seventy minutes going forward.”
Crawford said the main focus heading into next week’s game against the Rabbitohs is managing the basics.
“I think you’ve got to do the fundamentals and do them really well; I think we just hurt ourselves. It’s almost like we’re playing against ourselves and the opposition week in and week out, and that’s all the learning curve.
“We’ve got a lot of young players in the group so for them, it’s just understanding that sometimes you’ve just got to hold the ball and kick long and be happy to defend a game out, so yeah, plenty of lessons, but just glad for the girls because they’ve been working hard and they deserve the two points today.”
Winger Montaya Hudson said while the win wasn’t easy, it’s something to be proud of.
“Obviously not the start we wanted, but I think throughout the game, we kind of found our feet and, yeah, definitely built on our style of footy and I guess improving ourselves,” Hudson said.
“I think our middles, we wanted to stay tight; they were getting through our middle quite easily, so definitely tidied up our middle and played our style of footy, so just holding the ball and making sure we get down the end.”
The Steelers play the South Sydney Rabbitohs next Saturday, 18 July at Collegians Sporting Complex Ground, Wollongong. Kick-off is at 3pm.
Words: Harrison Mellare
Photo credit: Denis Ivaneza