The Steelers have won back-to-back games to start the 2026 NSWRL Women’s Premiership season, defeating the St. George Dragons 40-4 at Jubilee Stadium on Sunday, winger Paige Knapp (pictured) starring with a four-try haul.
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Despite a less-than-optimal start by conceding a try after only a minute, the Steelers quickly bounced back, crossing for eight unanswered tries, with Knapp grabbing four tries for 16 points, and fullback Tayleah Handcock kicking four goals.
Overcoming their early defensive lapse, the Steelers’ first try came from front-rower Roxy Murdoch, with a crash play through the middle in the 13th minute.
Knapp then got to work with back-to-back four-pointers, one in the right corner in the 20th minute, and the other set up after a strong linebreak from dummy half Madison Hemopo just five minutes later, putting the Steelers up 14-4 at halftime.
Forward Gwen Swann opened the scoring five minutes into the second half with her second try of the season after fellow second rower Rhian Yeo broke the Dragons’ defensive line.
Knapp picked up another double not long after, the first through a cut-out pass by Handcock to score in the corner in the 44th minute, and then a lost ball from the Dragons’ winger, leaving Knapp to pick up the scraps and score her fourth of the match.
Interchange rake Kayla Fleming soon extended the Steelers’ lead with a strong dummy half run to score under the posts in the 55th minute, before last week’s hat-trick scorer Kiara Kostovski finished the job with a cut-out pass from halfback Georgie Barrett in the 63rd minute.
Post-game, Knapp said the right edge combination worked well, and that trust is a key factor in the team’s success.
“You’ve just got to trust each other, we’ve been putting in so much hard work in the pre-season now leading into this season,” Knapp said.
“We’ve worked on a lot of combinations, so it’s just trusting each other. I think we’re doing so well, especially after just two rounds playing together.”
The Steelers host reigning premiers, the Sharks, in their first home game of the season at Collegians Sporting Complex on Saturday.
Words: Harrison Mellare
Image credit: Denis Ivaneza