NRLW star Kennedy Cherrington laughs as she is sent off for terrifying spear tackle that could have seriously injured her opponent
- Kennedy Cherrington was sent off after a shock tackle against Newcastle
- The Eels skipper is only the second NRLW player in history to be sacked
- Parramatta was beaten 38-4 by Newcastle on Sunday
Parramatta captain Kennedy Cherrington smiled after being sent off for a terrifying tackle in the Eels 38-4 defeat to Newcastle.
Cherrington became the second NRLW player in history to be sacked after she and Madeline Jones speared forward Laishon Albert-Jones during the second half on Sunday.
When she received her marching orders, the Eels skipper smiled ruefully before leaving the field.
The striker’s sending off turned out to be an invitation for Newcastle to blow out the score with 25 minutes to play in the 2022 Grand Final at CommBank Stadium.
Already trailing 18-4 at half time, the Eels immediately fell off the pace once they were reduced to 12 players.
Parramatta captain Kennedy Cherrington smiled after being sent off for a terrifying tackle
Cherrington (right) was sent off after she and Madeline Jones head Knights forward Laishon Albert-Jones with a spear tackle
Knight support Tayla Predebon stormed through the middle, where Cherrington defends, in the set after the spear tackle.
Cherrington’s retirement came after the referee marched Brisbane winger Ashleigh Werner on the first weekend of the premiership for biting Jayme Fressard.
Werner was handed a two match suspension and the Eels can expect to lose their captain to a suspension as well.
The likely suspension would complicate a rocky start to the season for last year’s runners-up, who sit in last place as the only side to go three rounds winless.
It won’t get any easier with remaining Brisbane heavyweights waiting next week.
The Knights’ victory sees them finish the weekend in the top four.
Newcastle kept pace with the clock early on and State of Origin Representative Yasmin Clydesdale was at the center of the action.
The winger turned second rower pounced on a grubber kick from Knights five-eighth Georgia Roche to open the scoring, then caught a short ball from fullback Tamika Upton to blast off to the left.
Newcastle beat the Eels 38-4 with a dominant display on Sunday afternoon
She went in to Upton, who scored the second of seven tries for the Knights.
But the reigning prime ministers had to wait until after Cherrington was sent off to reassert their early dominance
Knights captain Hannah Southwell made a successful return from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that had ruled her out since last season’s first game, finishing with 19 tackles.