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Nick Campton 

NRLW teams face challenge stopping Brisbane Broncos juggernaut

Can anyone stop Brisbane in the NRLW? (Getty: Cameron Spencer)

In the short history of NRLW, there has been Brisbane and then, somewhere way behind the rampaging Broncos, there's been everybody else.

The Queensland colossus has been the best team in the history of the competition — and it's not particularly close.

They have won all three premierships, have suffered only one defeat, and in their 11 victories the other side has only finished within single digits of Kelvin Wright's side twice.

Their breezy 20-4 win over the Roosters in their first outing of 2022 confirmed what many already knew – that Brisbane were again the odds-on favourites to claim the NRLW title.

So how does one take down a juggernaut? According to Newcastle star Kirra Dibb, the same way you take down anybody else.

"We need to approach them as if they're any other team— because they are," she said.

"This is a new year and a new team and they don't have the premiership in their hands yet.

Dibb made her Newcastle debut on Sunday.  (Getty Images, Ashley Feder )

"We can be the ones to try and take it off them.

"They have a great roster and a great history, but the best thing about being an underdog is they haven't seen much of our footy.

"We'll be walking into the game with our heads high, and we're more than excited to take on the Broncos."

Brisbane might seem like the NRLW version of the Death Star, but no team is unbeatable. At some point, Goliath has to lose.

It's a tall order to shut down the likes of fullback Tamika Upton, halves Ali Brigginshaw and Tarryn Aiken, and rampaging forwards Millie Boyle and Chelsea Lenarduzzi, but Dibb is adamant the Knights can cause an upset in Wollongong on Sunday.

"We attack it in the same way you attack any team," Dibb said.

"There's a little bit of homework, but you make sure you stick to your own game plan because the more you focus on them, the less you focus on yourself.

"To be the best, you have to win against the best, you have to play those talented teams."

Brisbane did it easily against the Roosters in their season opener.  (Getty Images, Ashley Feder)

Newcastle had the longest premiership odds of any NRLW team before the season kicked off, but it pushed Parramatta — the team tipped to be Brisbane's biggest challenge for the title — right to the edge before going down to a last-second field goal in a 13-12 loss in round one.

But Dibb and the rest of the Knights are not content with just being competitive in the club's maiden NRLW season – they are aiming high and want to excel.

A win over Brisbane would be one of the biggest upsets in NRLW history. However, if the Knights bring the same commitment they showed against the Eels, particularly in defence, they will be in with every chance.

"It was a good, tough game to start our season but we expect more of ourselves," Dibb said.

"All the respect to them (Parramatta), but I think we lost it for ourselves.

"We're professionals at this point so there's little things we can fix up. But it is only game one, we're a brand-new team and we have players from everywhere. It wasn't a terrible hit-out. We have a lot we can build on.

"We'll go back, stay connected and make sure we have each other's back.

"Our scramble defence against Parramatta was incredible and we'll need to be just as good again. As long as we focus on that, and what we need to do, we can get over the top of them."

Dibb will once again come off the bench for the Knights and act as a ball-playing middle, an unfamiliar position given she usually plies her trade in the halves.

But with Dibb and another regular half — New Zealand international Charntay Poko — helping to move the ball, Newcastle might have the kind of sideline-to-sideline attack that will trouble the Broncos.

Knights halves Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly and Tahlulah Tillett were both on debut in the loss to the Eels. While they impressed in patches, they will definitely be better for the run.

Tillett in particular had some nice touches, helping to create a try for talismanic fullback Romy Teitzel.

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