Emma Verran ran out of try celebrations as the Olympic gold medallist equalled the record for most tries in an NRLW match as the Sharks heaped more misery on the Raiders with a 50-point drubbing in Canberra.

Last year’s beaten grand finalists were slow out of the blocks in the season opener but reminded the rest of the competition that they are still a force to be reckoned with following a crushing 56-6 win thanks to Verran’s four tries.

The Sharks fullback was untouchable as she became the first Sharks player in NRLW history to score a hat-trick, while she added four line breaks and two assists to go with her game-high 179 metres.

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She wasn’t alone as Quincy Dodd got the ball rolling when she pounced on a loose ball after her grubber cannoned into the post.

Verran then grabbed her first when she broke clear around halfway and then rounded the fullback to score, with the flashy fullback completing her hat-trick when she latched onto an inside ball to crash over.

The selfie celebrations were in full swing every time she scored, with debutant Stephanie Faulkner bringing out the worm when she got on the end of some quick offloads to grab her first NRLW try.

Whatever was said in the Raiders sheds at halftime didn’t work because it took just four minutes for Verran to bounce over for her fourth as the team then celebrated with the Macarena.

The rep star then looked set to break the record when she burst through in the following set, but had to offload to Faulkner a few metres out as the rookie continued her dream afternoon.

It’s hard to believe this is the same team that lost at home to Parramatta last week, with the Sharks cracking 50 points with 17 minutes still to play in a performance that has put the rest of the NRLW on notice.

Green with envy

GIO Stadium has turned into a house of horrors for the Raiders who have now lost eight games in a row at the venue, including back-to-back matches to start the 2025 campaign.

Their last win at home was way back in 2023, with Canberra desperately needing to bounce back when they host the Eels next Saturday.

They were way off the pace from the opening whistle as the Sharks bullied them through the middle, with their only joy coming through Madison Bartlett who continued her incredible try-scoring spree.

Canberra’s struggles were perfectly summed up by a shocking captain’s challenge which took just one replay for the bunker to dismiss for high contact, with Verran scoring one set later off a lovely Dodd grubber.

ROOSTERS’ CRUCIAL WIN OVER THE DRAGONS

Star recruit Hannah Southwell could be in hot water after the Dragons lock was sent to the sin bin for a late shot on Jocelyn Kelleher that caused “significant whiplash” in their loss to the Roosters.

The Dragons were down 14-10 with 15 minutes to go when the veteran rushed out of the line to put pressure on the opposition halfback but whacked her late and was sent from the field.

The penalty proved costly with Dally M winner Olivia Kernick scoring from the following set, with Southwell now facing a nervous wait for the charges to drop.

The 24-10 victory moves the defending champions to 2-0 to start the season after they overcame some poor handling to win on the road.

Skipper Isabelle Kelly opened the scoring, wrecking ball Amber Hall crossed in her first game of the season, while Logan Fletcher touched down in the corner to celebrate her first game in the NRLW.

Berry good

The Dragons weren’t able to replicate their attacking brilliance from last week, but they will always be a threat with Teagan Berry in the side.

The star fullback produced a remarkable try-saving tackle to deny Aliyah Nasio in the first half when the edge forward was over the line, and Berry was rewarded later on when she spun over from dummy-half to extend her lead as the most prolific scorer in NRLW history.