The St George Illawarra Dragons will meet the Wests Tigers on Saturday, August 19th at CommBank Stadium, Parramatta in Round 5 of the 2023 NRLW season. This is your game day guide.
Rivals clash for first time
The Dragons will meet the Wests Tigers for the first time at NRLW level with the latter a month into their inaugural season.
The Wests Tigers started their year with back-to-back wins over the Eels and Sharks before falling to the Raiders and Cowboys over the past fortnight.
Expect a level of intensity from the clash with Kezie Apps, Botille Vette-Welsh, Najvada George and Rikeya Horne all taking on their former club.
Key Timings:
Kick-off: 12.50pm
Where: CommBank Stadium, Parramatta
Watch: Nine, 9Now, Kayo & Foxtel
Soward makes changes, hands out debut
Jamie Soward has opted to hand an NRLW debut to Cheynoah Amone who will come off the interchange against the Wests Tigers on Saturday afternoon.
Sophie Clancy returns for the Red V at hooker with Renee Targett and Kaarla Cowan listed among the reserves.
Tara McGrath-West also returns to partner Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa in the front row with Alexis Tauaneai shifting back to lock.
Ella Koster is back on the interchange with Maddison Weatherall and Roxy Murdoch both dropping back to the reserves list.
Hosts welcome duo back
Botille Vette-Welsh (head knock) and Losana Lutu (knee) are both back in for the Wests Tigers.
Pauline Piliae-Rasabale shifts back into the halves with Round 4 debutants Jessica Kennedy and Imogen Gobran dropping back to the reserves.
Try-scoring aces meet
Dragons fullback Teagan Berry and Wests Tigers centre Leianne Tufuga will both be looking to add to their NRLW-leading try tallies when they take the field on Saturday afternoon.
Berry has proven a revelation since making the shift to fullback at the start of the season with the 21-year-old currently first in the premiership in run metres, equal-first in tries scored, and fifth in tackle breaks through four games.
Tufuga, meanwhile, has enjoyed a strong start to her Wests Tigers career after departing the Roosters at the end of last season and is also currently equal-first in the NRLW in four-pointers and first in line breaks.
