So much of the NRLW season is searching for a viable contender to challenge the Broncos, and one may have sprouted up from the many puddles that dotted the Wollongong Showground during the season's second round.
Heading into the season, Parramatta were the popular pick to be the biggest threat to Brisbane's dominance, but St George Illawarra's 10-0 upset win over the Eels was a statement of intent and an announcement that the Red V are serious contenders for the title.
There was so much talk all week about the halfback battle, with Rachael Pearson taking on Parramatta's Maddie Studdon after both produced star turns last week, but the monsoonal conditions put paid to any hope of a sparkling playmaking duel.
In a game played practically underwater, the Dragons got wild and wet and managed to out-hustle, out-muscle and outlast the Eels through a combination of team spirit and forward power.
"I said to the girls just now I think it's the best NRLW win they've ever had," said Dragons coach Jamie Soward.
"I was really proud of how the girls adjusted and just tackled everything that moved. Sometimes you have to do that."
Given the Red V were missing star prop Kezie Apps and backrower Talei Holmes it was a might effort against the Eels, with forwards Elsie Albert and debutant Aliti Namoce leading the way. Stand-in skipper Keeley Davis was another standout at lock and the side is clearly responding well to Soward's intensity and enthusiasm.
"I'm intense. But that's who I am, I'm not going to change. If I change and tried to act cool all the time I wouldn't have done this," Soward said.
"The girls know me now. I'm intense, I'm emotional, I just want to win, and that competitive side of me comes out and sometimes it probably comes out a little bit too much. But I don't know any other way. I played like that and I said I was going to coach like that.
"I don't coach women's rugby league, I coach rugby league. Sometimes as a player you get in conversations where it's direct and you don't want to hear it. But sometimes you need to hear that to make an adjustment or make yourself better.
"I took that approach with the girls and they seem to be liking it."
Brisbane have plenty of muscle of their own, as well as the flash to back it up, but the Dragons are their most viable challenger a third of the way through the regular season – the two teams will meet next week in what could well be a grand final preview.
The battle between Pearson and Studdon took a back seat, but the Dragons playmaker still had her moments – she scored all the points via a try and three goals and was still prominent despite the atrocious conditions.
"There's still some areas she can work on with her game management, we looked a little bit lost at times, but there was no hesitation from her," Soward said.
"I thought that was the mentality of our whole team, 'what's next, get on with the job', it probably wasn't the best game to view with a lot of errors and not much footy being played, but Rat was crucial."
BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 DEF NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 10
Tamika Upton was again the best player on the field as Brisbane took care of a plucky Knights side and it's worth asking the question if the Broncos fullback is the best player in the women's game.
It's a big call – Upton is surrounded by fellow contenders at Brisbane, like Ali Brigginshaw and Millie Boyle, and Parramatta's Simaima Taufa is in the conversation as well, but Upton could have them all beat.
Nobody runs a team round the park like Brigginshaw, and Boyle and Taufa's muscle and endurance make them an irrepressible force in any game they play, but no player has Upton's mix of athletic grace and sharp skills.
Both were on show throughout Brisbane's win, with Upton scoring a try, setting up another and making two line breaks. Like any good fullback, Upton's involvement in the game is constant, be it through supporting up the middle or putting the finishing touches on a backline spread.
Like Tom Trbojevic or James Tedesco, Upton is in everything her team does well and her influence is irrepressible.
"She just knows how to pop up in places when she supports around the ball. When you have players like that you know she can find the space," said Brigginshaw.
"I thought her and Shenae (Ciesiolka) really started to combine well. We're going to see more of that."
After two rounds, Upton must be the early favourite for player of the year honours although Boyle, who scored a try of her own and ran for 196 metres, can't be far behind.
"To be fair, she was carrying an injury into today. Someone who wasn't as tough might have chosen not to play but she was pretty determined to play," said Broncos coach Kelvin Wright.
"We have some really flashy players but she does a lot of that stuff people don't appreciate."
GOLD COAST TITANS 26 DEF SYDNEY ROOSTERS 16
Winless after two weeks, the Roosters are in serious danger of becoming the disappointment of the NRLW season.
The Titans burst out of the blocks, putting on two early tries, and while the Roosters fought hard to get back in the game, with the contest staying alive until Gold Coast skipper Brittany Breayley-Nati grabbed her second try in the final minute, it wasn't enough. Ball-control was the issue, with the Roosters failing to hold the footy with any consistency.
Despite boasting stars like centres Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis as well as Raecene Macgregor and lock Hannah Southwell, the season is rapidly slipping away from the Roosters. Next Saturday's clash with the Knights has become a must-win for both sides – they're the only sides yet to get off the mark in 2022 and another defeat would all but end their finals hopes.
"It was like watching last week's game and not seeing anything different. We just put ourselves under pressure with our own errors, it was all on us," said Roosters coach John Strange.
"We just shot ourselves in the foot over and over again.
"We have three games to go and win all three and we give ourselves a chance to make the semis. Every (game) is must win."
