Australia retained their Women's Rugby League World Cup title with an emphatic 54-4 defeat of New Zealand at Old Trafford, with co-captain Ali Brigginshaw leading from the front in a one-sided final.
The Brisbane Broncos scrum-half played a role in most of the Jillaroos' best moments as they won the world title for the third time in succession against a Kiwi Ferns side who just couldn't match their opponents' intensity nor their ability to make significant yardage at key moments.
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Brigginshaw dominated the first half as Australia really set their stall out. First she hung the ball out waiting for attention before sending Jess Sergis onto a crash ball and the centre fought off two tacklers to score.
Next Isabelle Kelly got on the end of a right-to-left move to make it 10-0, then Brigginshaw was chief creator once more as she turned around Madison Bartlett with an inch-perfect kick and the high bounce went for Julia Robinson, who plucked the ball from the air and charged over.
When Kelly went in again to make it 20-0 before the break it was Brigginshaw starting the move once more, taking the ball to the line and then stepping left and feeding Tarryn Aiken, who skipped through and sent Kelly through a cover tackle for the Jillaroos’ fourth try.
If the Kiwi Ferns were hoping to gain a foothold in the second half they got the exact opposite, with the Aussies going in for three more tries in an eight-minute spell just short of the hour mark.
First Emma Tonegato took a Brigginshaw pass at the line to break through and plant down under the sticks, then Sergis riggled out of a Page McGregor tackle to score after Brigginshaw had again caused trouble. Tarryn Aiken then added the seventh try when taking Yasmin Clydsdale pass after the Jillaroos had created numbers on the left.
New Zealand did finally get on the board when they won good field position and skipper Krystal rota took on the line before sending the ball through hands on the left for Bartlett to ground in the corner.
Australia were far from done though, and Kennedy Cherrington was to score her first two tries in the gold and green in quick succession, beating a three-player tackle to crash over for her first, then taking Kelly’s pass from an Aiken kick to double her account. Evania Pelite then dived in for the 10th Jillaroos score when the New Zealand defence just couldn't keep her down no matter how many times they tried.
After relatively narrow victories in the last two finals, winning by 10 points in 2013 and seven in 2017, this emphatic scoreline was a real statement as to the level the Jillaroos have taken their game to in the modern professional era which has seen the NRLW become such a success.
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