'More girls coming': Taylor right at home after sevens switch
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Newcastle Knights recruit Sidney Taylor is relishing the chance to take on her former rugby sevens teammates as she looks to build on a stunning NRLW debut.
The 23-year-old starred in Newcastle's Round 1 victory over the Sharks, claiming a win over fellow sevens convert Maddison Higgins-Ashby in the process.
Shanice Parker Try
Taylor is preparing to take on another former Australian sevens star this weekend when the Knights face Sariah Paki and the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening.
"It's nice to have them in the NRLW but it's not nice playing against each other," Taylor told NRL.com. "I'd rather be playing with them, not against them but it's good to have them here.
"It brings out good competition with all of us and gives us something new and a different challenge. Sooner or later there'll be many more girls coming across."
Match: Roosters v Knights
Round 2 -
home Team
Roosters
2nd Position
away Team
Knights
5th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Former sevens stars are scattered throughout the NRLW, with a host of big names making the switch to rugby league in the past few years.
It's a trend that goes as far back as the competition's formative years, with Newcastle captain Yasmin Meakes representing Australia in sevens before making her NRLW debut in 2020.
More recently, Stacey Waaka joined the Broncos in 2024, days after helping New Zealand win gold at the Paris Olympics. Just this year, Titans recruit Teagan Levi was at the centre of a contract tug of war before opting to join the Gold Coast.
The five-eighth delivered on the hype with an impressive debut last weekend and is only expected to improve over the coming weeks.
Teagan Levi try
As for Taylor, the youngster starred for the Knights last Thursday night, running for a game-high 183 metres and setting up the first try in the win over Cronulla.
"That was one of the best debuts I've seen," Newcastle coach Ben Jeffries said. "She was really good. She's fitted into the team, played her role and I'm excited to see her progress throughout the season.
"I coached her when she was 17, 18 years old in the [Queensland Academy of Sport] pathway. It was an easy decision to bring her to the club and we're happy she came."
After grinding out a win over the Sharks last week, Newcastle face another big test against the Roosters on Saturday.
John Strange's side progressed through last year's regular season undefeated before falling to the Broncos in an epic grand final.
The Roosters picked up where they left off in Round 1, securing a dominant 34-10 win over the Titans.
Roosters v Knights: Round 2
Newcastle have been forced into a backline reshuffle this week with Kirra Dibb moving to halfback and Bo Vette-Welsh coming into five-eighth after Georgia Roche was suspended.
Lucy Spain will make her NRLW debut in the No.1 jumper with Lilly-Ann White set to miss eight weeks with a syndesmosis injury.
While fans are used to seeing Vette-Welsh at fullback, Jeffries is confident she can get the job done in the No.6 jumper.
"We've had multiple players play in the halves, fullback and spine [during pre-season] to combat these scenarios," Jeffries said. "Bo's well equipped with her skillset to play five-eighth.
"It's not real often she's been in the frontline but she understands how to defend in our system. She played really well in the NSW Women's Premiership last week so I'm looking forward to seeing her play."
