Brisbane post huge NRLW win as Dragons stun Knights (2024)

Mele Hufanga's four-try haul has propelled Brisbane to their biggest NRLW victory, a 44-4 thrashing of Gold Coast that has the Broncos' top-four tilt back on track.

It came as St George Illawarra breathed life into their own season by breaking Newcastle's 11-game winning streak with an 18-10 victory at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Winless through the opening fortnight for a third straight season, the Broncos played like a completely different side as they welcomed five new faces into their 17 at Langlands Park.

Hufanga was the architect of a 22-0 halftime lead that all but confirmed victory with 35 minutes to play on Sunday, first throwing an offload that helped Julia Robinson open the scoring after four minutes.

She had two first-half tries of her own on the back of passes from Tazmin Rapana as the error-prone Titans struggled to readjust to the loss of Hufanga's opposite player Niall Williams-Guthrie.

All four of the Broncos' first-half tries came down Hufanga's left edge, but Brisbane opened the game up after halftime, Ali Brigginshaw throwing the last passes for two tries down the right.

When she burst through the markers and dashed 60 metres, Hufanga had her second career hat-trick and the Broncos were on track to pass their biggest ever margin of victory - previously 34 points.

Hufanga confirmed the second four-try haul of her career, sliding over in the final 10 minutes.

It took a bizarre set of circ*mstances for the Titans to finally get themselves on the board after 50 minutes.

The ball became lodged under the left leg of Robinson in the in-goal, with Lauren Brown sliding in to ground her own kick and finally score the Titans' first.

The loss was the Titans' biggest since their inception four seasons ago and hands a reality check to last season's runners-up, who had been undefeated through two rounds.

Elsewhere, fullback Teagan Berry starred as the Dragons handed back-to-back reigning premiers Newcastle their first loss since round two last season - 378 days ago.

Saints trailed 10-0 after 18 minutes at McDonald Jones Stadium before scoring four unanswered tries to improve their record to 1-2.

Berry had her side's first four-pointer, burning Lilly-Ann White on a scrum play and streaking over on the right side.

The 22-year-old then helped the Dragons break the 10-10 halftime deadlock by sending a cut-out pass to winger Kimberley Hunt early in the second period.

Hunt's second try sealed the deal in the final minutes, the Dragons off the mark after a winless opening fortnight threatened to undo their 2024 campaign.

But the Dragons will have cause for concern after bench forward Jamilee Bright left the field on a medi-cab during the second half.

Bright collided with the pelvis of teammate Charlotte Basham as the pair attempted to tackle Knights halfback Jesse Southwell in the final 10 minutes.

Staff from both teams attended to a motionless Bright on field, eventually hoisting her stretcher on to a medicab. She left the pitch to applause from the Newcastle crowd.

Earlier, Parramatta halves Cassey Tohi-Hiku and Rachael Pearson were at their scheming best in a 20-6 win over North Queensland.

The duo had room to work their magic on the back of powerhouse runs by middle forwards Elsie Albert, Tyla Amiatu and Kennedy Cherrington.

Tohi-Hiku's running game was the perfect complement to Pearson's game management and kicking nous as the Eels climbed back into the NRLW's top four with a 2-1 record.

Australian Associated Press