KIERSTEN DUKE: Lightning crashed, history was made at NRLW Magic Round

Last weekend’s inaugural NRLW Magic Round wasn’t just a showcase of elite footy, it was a storm-soaked celebration of resilience, records, and young fans who reminded us exactly why this game matters.

It will be remembered for more than just being a marquee moment for women’s sport in this country. There were records matched, a first-ever draw and, of course, the weather.

Held at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, the girls battled torrential rains, swirling winds and two lightning delays. Fans huddled in waterproof ponchos that closely resembled bin liners to support their rugby league idols.

This is one of the aspects I love about the NRLW - the fan base. If you’ve never been to a game, I implore you to go.

You’d have to be the grinch to not feel overwhelming joy from the smiles and cheers of the young fans watching with their parents.

It’s a very different feel to an NRL Bulldogs game on a Saturday night. Forget swearing and sledging, instead there’s screams of encouragement and young girls rejoicing, leaping into the air, frantically waving their flags in support.

A sight that warms even the coldest hearts.

An NRLW memory that lives in my head is game one of the women’s State of Origin at Allianz Stadium. The Blues were up and five minutes into the second half Jaime Chapman blitzed through the try line.

When she ran back for the conversion, she found herself in front of our seats.

In front of me was a group of girls roughly 10-years old, who were attending the game for a friend’s birthday.

As Chapman returned to position in front of us, the girls erupted, chanting her name. She looked up and grinned at them sending them into a giddy frenzy. Goosebumps.

This is what the game is about. Moments like these, albeit small, can have a huge affect on a young person’s life. If those girls hadn’t already, I have no doubt that following that interaction they would’ve picked up a footy.

This is just a small example why the NRL must continue to commit to it’s going support events such as Magic Round. The women’s game deserves these platforms to showcase its best, even if mother nature has other ideas.

The players certainly didn’t let the conditions dampen their competitive fire and some even seemed to thrive playing in the slush.

Despite a second lightning delay putting a dampener on Saturday’s third game, 2023 Dally M winner Tamika Upton, pictured, scored a hat-trick, inspiring a 28-14 win for Brisbane over Cronulla.

Following her second four-pointer, Upton passed Dragons star Teagan Berry’s mark of 32 tries to become the leading try-scorer in NRLW history. Upton’s return has given the Broncos a huge boost this season, with Brisbane looking likely to take on the Sydney Roosters in the grand final.

Speaking of the Roosters, they had a blinder of a game themselves. Incredibly, given the horrendous weather Roosters five-eighth Jocelyn Kelleher booted five out of six conversions taking her career tally to past 200 points. This makes her just the second player in the NRLW to achieve this feat and with the way she’s kicking she might want to take the NSW Origin boys for a lesson or two.

One thing I loved about the Las Vegas matches was the meet-and-greets the players did with fans. It would be fantastic to implement that player-fan connection during Magic Round and hopefully, unlike Vegas, the NRL will continue to back the girls instead of having them last in and first out.

I’m slightly confused as to why Magic Round can’t be held in Sydney. Is it due to scheduling and clashing games? Maybe it’s time to push the round back more towards NRLW finals.

Like all new ideas, there are plenty of improvements that can be made to the NRLW Magic Round.

But one thing is for certain, the fans love it and it needs to continue to grow.