NRLW Magic Round in Newcastle begins with a historic draw after a fierce contest between the Bulldogs and Titans
Kicking off the NRLW's inaugural Magic Round in very wet conditions in Newcastle, each side headed into the clash with a 2-2 record, and a point to prove at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Locked at 14-14, both sides continually shot themselves in the foot, turning it over in the torrential rain before the siren rang to send the contest into golden point.
The Bulldogs parked themselves in the opposition's red zone for the bulk of the extra period, skipper Tayla Preston's first attempt at a one-pointer wide before, and Chapman racing up to throw her off before her second snap.
Neither side could find the field position in the second period, the siren ringing out to signal the first draw in the competition's eight-season history.
Players were dropping like flies to start the contest, Gold Coast winger Lily Patston carried off after 90 seconds while Canterbury were momentarily left with a one-woman bench in the first ten minutes.
A simple sweep saw Jaime Chapman swing to the left to put Georgia Grey over in the corner for the first-ever women's Magic Round try, before Natasha Penitani doubled the advantage a few minutes later, crashing over next to the sticks.
Enter, Canterbury's halves.
The Bulldogs No. 6 and 7 in Ash Quinlan and Preston dragged Canterbury back into the affair, albeit in different methods.
Quinlan fired an absolute bullet through the air for winger Elizabeth MacGregor to put the blue and white on the board, the rookie crossing the line untouched.
Veteran half Lauren Brown kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Titans, shaping to kick in-field before turning her body, putting a deft grubber through the line for Jasmine Solia to snatch a 14-4 halftime lead.
Preston had the Bulldogs humming early in the second stanza, a brilliant 40/20 leading to another Quinlan bullet pass the next set, this time Monica Tagoia dotting down.
The left-edge was humming for Canterbury, finding success again minutes later on the back of a simple shift, handing MacGregor her fourth try in just two NRLW games.
It was a double whammy for the Titans, losing the lead as well as Solia, with the Bunker finding high contact from the edge forward in the lead up, leaving Solia in the sin bin and Tagoai on a medicab.
The draw leaves both sides just outside the top four after five rounds, and despite the constant downpour, there's little doubt there's more magic to come this weekend.
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