By Lance Jenkinson
Werribee Bears are proving a tough nut to crack in NRL Victoria women’s first grade.
The ruthless reigning premiers have conceded a mere seven tries in seven games to sit on top of the ladder.
Bears coach Chris Kilgarriff said his players had an appetite to compete on defence every set.
“We pride ourselves on our defence,” he said. “The fact that we scored 50 points is not really a biggie – it’s that we keep teams to zero.”
The Bears are watertight in defence and can make you look silly by posting big scores of their own.
The Bears cracked 50 for the fourth game in succession in a 54-0 annihilation of Altona Roosters at Haines Drive Reserve on Saturday.
“We just stuck to structures, stuck to the game plan and just executed well,” Kilgarriff said. “We were clean with the ball – I think we had one dropped ball out of the whole 60 minutes that we played.”
Werribee has weapons all over the field. The Bears’ only multiple try scorer in the rout was Beyonce Leaf with two.
A key part of Werribee’s early success has been the form of co-captains Tiana Kani and Natasha Watts-Tehiko.
They offer different yet complementary leadership models.
“They’re big leaders on the field and they’re great role models for the girls,” Kilgarriff said.
“The girls look up to them for guidance and they lead by example.
“Natasha is a quality player and more of a quiet achiever.
“She doesn’t really speak her leadership, but she shows it in her actions.
“Tiana is more vocal and her actions show on the field, as well.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Werribee Bears vs Altona Roosters
While Werribee is the defending champion, sits on top of the ladder and has scored the most points and conceded on average the least, it is not an outright premiership favourite.
The Bears’ undefeated local rivals, Truganina Rabbitohs, the only team to beat them this season, loom large. Until the Bears can beat Truganina, there will be question marks over their status.
“We’re pretty happy with the performances we’re putting out week in, week out,” Kilgarriff said.
“The players just really want to test themselves now, so they can’t wait to play the Rabbitohs again.”
Werribee will play Northern Thunder this weekend – or so they think.
Kilgarriff is not happy with NRL Victoria’s inability to produce a season-long fixture for women’s first grade, despite having had one out for months for the men’s competitions.
“We’re waiting for the league to give us our total draw so we can start preparing for our games well ahead instead of week to week,” he said.
“They’ve put out the full men’s draw, but the women’s draw is week to week.
“Our women get left behind. It’s pretty poor when they’re trying to promote women in league.”
