The Yass Magpies have won the Katrina Fanning Shield Grand Final after defeating the Valley Dragon Womens 18-8 at GIO Stadium on Saturday.
A dominant Crystal Papalii and Dragons attack weren’t enough for the girls in red and white as Yass were able to hold on defensively to win their first title since the competition was introduced in 2017.
Both teams looked nervous to start the game, with both sides coming up with multiple errors in the first half.
Throughout the half, Valley Dragons’ Crystal Papalii showed off her tackling ability with big hits forcing Yass to stay away from her side of the field.
After 29 mins of both teams being scoreless, Gabrielle Suckling busted her through the Dragons defensive line giving the Magpies the first points of the day.
Both teams head into the sheds at halftime with Yass leading 6-0 over the Valley Dragons.
The Magpies continued the scoring straight out of the break with Hollie Massey breezing her way to the try line untouched to score the second try for Yass.
The Valley Dragons scored their first try for the match after the ball went through the hands to the left side to allow Crystal Papalli to barrel over the line.
With ten minutes to go, Jenna Cooke sealed the deal for Yass after a perfect ball from Eilish Winbank set the centre up for their third try.
A consolation try in the final minutes of the game for the Dragons after Alisha Ingram found her way to the line.
Yass Magpies: 18 (Tries: Suckling, Massey, Cooke Goals: Massey 1/1 Wright 2/2) def Valley Dragon Womens: 8 (Tries: Papalii, Ingram Goals: Ingram 0/1, Ernst 0/1)
Article written by Nathan James
