Broncos, Titans win to wrap up NRLW regular season
The Brisbane Broncos have thrashed the Warriors to hit peak form before the finals, while the high-flying Gold Coast Titans beat the Newcastle Knights to wrap up the NRLW regular season.
The Broncos, defending premiers, put in a stunning seven-try second half on Sunday in a club-record 52-18 victory at Brisbane's Langlands Park.
Meanwhile, the Titans' 32-20 win in Newcastle stretched their unbeaten streak to 10 matches. They had already secured second place on the ladder behind the undefeated Sydney Roosters.
The Broncos finished the regular season in third place.
They were too classy for the Warriors, who ended a disappointing season with a fifth straight loss.
The New Zealanders came out of the blocks firing, but the Broncos scored first via Kerri Johnson, before former Brisbane premiership winner Gayle Broughton crossed for the visitors.
Broughton laid on another try with a deft kick for winger Tysha Ikenasio and the Warriors looked set to head into the break with a lead.
But Broncos centre Deleni Paitai scored her first NRLW try with 10 seconds left in the half to give her side a 12-8 advantage.
The Broncos extended their buffer just four minutes into the second half when Chelsea Lenarduzzi powered over.
Tries followed to Paitai, Tamika Upton, Georgia Bartlett, Julia Robinson and Lauren Dam, before Warriors centre Stacey Waaka stopped the rot.
Waaka stretched her try-scoring streak to seven matches, and Jasmin Huriwai added another for the Warriors prior to Robinson scoring her second for the Broncos.
Teagan Levi scored a double in the Titans' win over the Knights. (Getty Images: Scott Gardiner)
In Newcastle, Mercedez Taulelei-Siala opened the scoring for the Knights inside two minutes.
But the Titans' response was almost immediate when Phoenix-Raine Hippi scored.
Laikha Clarke made it two tries in two minutes for the Titans, but once the match settled into an arm wrestle, it was Sienna Yeo who scored a neat individual try for the Knights to lock up the scores.
Teagan Levi scored next for the Titans to continue her stellar debut NRLW season, before Evania Isa'ako touched down to give Gold Coast a 20-10 lead at the break.
Fane Finau revived Newcastle 10 minutes into the second half with a tackle-busting solo effort, but the Titans came back six minutes later through Indie Bostock.
From the ensuing kick-off, the Titans marched up the field, and Levi brushed off three would-be defenders to score her second try.
Isa'ako sealed her double minutes later, and while Taulelei-Siala scored with eight minutes to go for Newcastle, it was too little, too late.
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