By Jasper Bruce
Hat-trick hero Jaime Chapman starred as Brisbane breathed life into their faltering NRLW season with a 22-4 defeat of local rivals Gold Coast at Moreton Daily Stadium.
The Broncos came into Saturday’s derby winless through the opening two rounds and staring down the prospect of missing finals for the first time since the NRLW’s inception.
Rooted to the bottom of the ladder, the Broncos were inspired by 20-year-old Chapman, rallying for the sake of their season and their reputation as the premiership’s perennial heavyweights.
Chapman has played a different position in each of the Broncos’ three games this year but coach Kelvin Wright now has cause to keep her at left centre.
The former Dragon bulldozed over to open the scoring 10 minutes into the game and then extended the Broncos’ lead in the shadows of halftime, just when the Titans threatened to work back into the contest.
When she streaked over on the left wing midway through the second half, Chapman confirmed a comfortable win and became the third NRLW Bronco to score a hat-trick.
Brisbane’s Sophie Holyman on the charge against the Titans.Credit:Getty
Victory may have come at a cost for Brisbane though with State of Origin prop Chelsea Lenarduzzi limping off in the final minutes of the game with a suspected leg injury.
The Broncos ridded themselves of the missed tackles that thwarted them in last week’s big loss to the Sydney Roosters and guarded the football more jealously than Gold Coast on their way to a 12-0 halftime lead.
Brisbane could have been up 20-0 at the break but for wet conditions that made accurate goal-kicking a challenge.
Gold Coast coach Karyn Murphy lamented a lack of cohesion in attack in the lead-up to the game but the Titans managed to grapple field position back on either side of the break.
They were first to score in the second half, through Madison Bartlett, but generally struggled to execute once in position and were unable to match Ali Brigginshaw and Tarryn Aiken’s long kicking games.
Gold Coast’s loss was their third from as many starts this year and increases the likelihood of a season without finals. The Titans are still a chance to break into the post-season but defeating Parramatta (0-2) next weekend is non-negotiable.
For Brisbane, the big win goes some way to rectifying their lacklustre points differential, which would prove crucial to their finals hopes given how congested the ladder is towards the bottom.
The Broncos have moved into fourth position on the table temporarily but could fall back down to fifth if Parramatta defeat Newcastle on Sunday.
A failed HIA scuppered Shakiah Tungai’s return to the NRLW. The Brisbane recruit sat the 2021 season out and went off 10 minutes before half-time in her first game back.
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