LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
The nib Newcastle Knights faced a heartbreaking defeat against the Sharks, falling 19-18 in golden point at PointsBet Stadium, despite a hat-trick from Lilly-Ann White and a second-half try by Sheridan Gallagher.
On a cool Sydney afternoon, the Knights showed control for much of the match, only to see the Sharks rally back for a last-minute victory in front of enthusiastic fans in Cronulla.
The Knights set the pace early, taking advantage of their field position. Lilly-Ann White opened the scoring with a try in the corner within the first seven minutes. Shortly thereafter, she added her second try, finishing a coordinated backline play to extend Newcastle's lead to 8-0 midway through the first half.
Cronulla responded before halftime with Georgia Ravics exploiting space on the outside, narrowing the gap to 8-4 at the break.
The second half turned into a defensive battle, with both teams stifling each other's attacks. The Knights found a breakthrough with 15 minutes remaining when Jesse Southwell's high kick was mishandled by the Sharks, allowing Sheridan Gallagher to scoop up the loose ball and score, increasing the lead to 12-4.
White then completed her hat-trick, seemingly putting Newcastle in a commanding position with an 18-4 lead as the game neared its conclusion. However, the Sharks surged back with two quick tries from Ravics, bringing them back into contention. Just before the final whistle, Brooke Anderson scored to equalize at 18-all, forcing the match into extra time.