Renae Nona guided Easts into next Saturday’s StoreLocal Founders Cup grand final with a fine display as minor premiers Wests were stunned 24-10.
Flyhalf Nona’s running game and sure pass got the Tigers rolling and they were never headed today in the preliminary final at Norths Rugby Club.
It was a devastating end to the season for Wests. The Bulldogs women had ridden a 15-match winning streak in claiming the StoreLocal Challenge Cup and the minor premiership.
Back-to-back losses in the finals left them in tears at full-time.
Just as Sunnybank went out with back-to-back losses in the finals a year ago when minor premiers, it highlights again that finals footy is a different beast.
The Tigers are into next Saturday’s grand final at Ballymore against Bond University with high hopes of erasing some painful memories.
Easts fell short in 2022 and 2024 in grand finals and have been bystanders while Bond have noisily celebrated three straight premierships.
At Courtney Field today, the Bulldogs applied the early pressure but it was the Tigers who struck first when winger Leilani Hills gathered a bounce-pass and scored out wide.
Her speed made the difference.
The Bulldogs tied it at 5-all with a try by winger Amaia Erbina Arana which may just have been the culmination of the best sustained passage of the match.
Bulldogs forwards Dillyn Blackburn, Ashlee Knight and Hana Lane surged up the middle with a sharp relay of running and offloads.
The pressure was maintained with a counter-ruck and a penalty until the ball was spread to left where Erbina Arana finished.
The Tigers struck back immediately with a second Hills’ try. Centre Piper Flynn relayed the ball quickly to her on the right edge but it took Hills’ skill to rope in a high pass to turn it into a try.
The 10-5 half-time score became a mountain for Wests when halfback Maggie Glassock scored just after the break for 17-5.
The superior Tigers scrum dominated and it will be a weapon against Bond University.
If Nona wasn’t having a rumble forward, it was centre Loretta Lealiifano powering ahead with her trademark leg drive.
The Bulldogs kept fighting and a try to winger Sabay Lynam narrowed the scores to 17-10.
Lock Grace Hamilton and No.8 Maraea Tupai never stopped pushing with their workrate.
The result was put beyond reach with 12 minutes to play when Easts backrower Machiko Silila plunged over from close range.
It took more than attack. At the back, fullback Abbi Spooner was a missile in cover defence. She saved one try when she mowed down Reds centre Briana Dascombe and denied Tupai another with the same desperate intent.
Easts had multiple high-performers. Lealiifano and No.8 April Ngatupuna made consistent metres.
“Loretta is such a key player for us and we knew Wests would mark up on her. There was a bit of space for me and others because of that,” said Nona, a Queensland Reds squad member this year.
“Our connection as a team has been really good.
“Honestly, it’s so much fun playing with the girls.”
Nona’s switch from Sunnybank to Easts has added class to the backline. New faces like Morgan Day, Jorja Smith and Lina Mia Chioato have added energy too.
“Wests have led the way all season so we all had to rise to the occasion. As a team, we have really gelled the last few weeks,” Easts leader Piper Flynn said.
“The first try from Leilani really set us up.
“Wests were as tough as we expected. Now it’s the grand final...and everyone wants to see someone else win other than Bond.”
