South Newcastle survived a scare from Western Suburbs to maintain top spot on the Milleen Group Women’s Premiership ladder after six rounds.

In what is fast becoming a competition of unpredictable scorelines, we move to within a week of the halfway point of the season.

At Townson Oval, Souths got off to a strong start within the opening 10 minutes.

Following a Western Suburbs error, the Lionesses won the scrum, which saw Amy Dufour embark on her trademark cross-field run.

With defenders hanging off her, she found Giulia Sklavos with a nice pass to put her over in the corner for a 4-0 lead.

They proved to be the only points of the first half as both sides completed at low percentages throughout a scrappy opening 35 minutes.

The Rosellas got moving in the second period after a bizarre penalty was awarded against Chantelle Graham, who appeared to be penalised for a strip despite winning the ruck, dominating her opponent onto her back and releasing first, allowing her opponent to play the football.

Off the ensuing quick tap, Wests generated ruck speed and had Souths on the retreat.

Two rucks later, they were able to find Leah Campbell, who beat the cover defence of Brin Trinsley and Dufour to touch down in the south-eastern corner and level the scores at 4-all.

Wests struck again shortly after with a short-side raid that found its way into the hands of Ruby Lillyman.

She powered over the top of Dufour to give the Rosellas an 8-4 advantage.

The longer the game went on, the more periods the young Western Suburbs side started to take control.

Eleven minutes later, Amber Stokes went through the Wests defence like a hot knife through butter, beating three defenders on a 35-metre run to score next to the posts and make it look easy as Souths reclaimed the lead at 10-8.

It was the type of defensive lapse that Wests coach Noel Topou would have been disappointed with, particularly given how strong the Rosellas’ scramble defence had been throughout the match.

Six minutes before full-time, the visitors launched a clever short-side raid.

With the Souths defenders focused on the play-the-ball, Rosellas pivot Alyssa Shoulders threw a magnificent cut-out pass for Lily Carmody to score in the corner and put Wests back in front 12-10 in what seemed certain to be the match-winning play… and what would have been the club’s first victory of the 2026 season.

With just 30 seconds on the clock, Wests worked the ball from a scrum.

In an attempt to shift play, Rosellas’ fullback Tameika Dorothy unfortunately fumbled possession on her own goal line.

Souths pounced on the football and, in the ensuing set, Amber Stokes produced one final moment of class, putting Ella Conlon over in the corner to snatch victory in dramatic fashion.

For Wests, the performance showed the capability is there.

For Souths, it showed that good teams with strong habits find ways to win even when they are far from their best.

In the other matches, the Northern Hawks put the cleaners through Maitland in a dominant fashion 36-4, while Central Newcastle accounted for a disappointing Lakes United outfit 14-10 at St John Oval.

ONE MOMENT DOESN’T DEFINE YOU

249 NRL matches. Two NRL premierships. Two Rugby League World Cups. Twenty-three State of Origin appearances for New South Wales, including nine as captain. Three Dally M Medals. Two Golden Boots as the best player in the world. A Clive Churchill Medal. Halfback of the Team of the Century.

Rugby League’s eighth Immortal — the great Andrew Johns.

In the 2000 NRL preliminary final at the old Sydney Football Stadium, the Newcastle Knights led 16-2 at half-time.

As the players walked up the tunnel, most believed the side was on its way to a decider against Brisbane and, likely, a second premiership.

But, history remembers a different moment.

With time running out, Johns threw an intercept pass that was snapped up by Roosters captain Brad Fittler, who raced away to score and send the Sydney Roosters into the grand final.

The image of a devastated Johns standing on the field, mouthguard thrown to the ground, became one of the most famous photographs in Australian sporting history.

For many players, that moment could have become the story of their career.

Instead, it became part of it.

Twelve months later, Johns stood at Stadium Australia holding the Provan-Summons Trophy aloft as captain of the Knights, with the Clive Churchill Medal hanging around his neck.

Why does that matter?

Because every footballer makes mistakes.

Everyone drops a ball, misses a tackle, throws a bad pass or makes a decision they wish they could have back.

The great players aren’t remembered for the errors they make. They’re remembered for how they respond to them.

So, to Western Suburbs fullback Tameika Dorothy, hold your head high.

The courage to put yourself into the contest is what creates moments of brilliance, but sometimes it also creates moments of heartbreak. 

That’s footy. You are far more than one mistake, one game or one result.

You have a bright future ahead of you, and when Western Suburbs start turning these close losses into victories, I have no doubt your contribution will be a major part of that success.

The game moves quickly, a week is a long time in rugby league. 

There’s another opportunity awaiting this Wednesday night.

Go again.

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• Knights suspend McEwen after drink-driving incident
• Jets shore up playing stocks ahead of big 2026/27 campaign

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