NRLW Saturday: Sharks v Cowboys; Dragons edge Bulldogs in thriller; Eels defeat Raiders

47th minute: North Queensland continue to grind away, the visitors getting through their sets and putting the Sharks under pressure. A penalty, however, has handed Cronulla a chance to hit back. More positive news for the hosts, with Rhiannon Byers returning to the contest after passing her HIA. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 12.

41st minute: Cronulla have continued to put themselves under pressure, with Emma Verran making an error in her side's second set of the half. The knock on handed North Queensland prime field position and while they came close on multiple occasions, the Sharks held firm. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 12.

Kick-off: We are underway in the second, with the Sharks looking to strike early after a frustrating opening 35 minutes. North Queensland were superb in the first half and just need to keep putting pressure on their opponents to secure a crucial road victory. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 12.

Half-time: The Cowboys have an unexpected eight-point lead at the break, with halfback Tahlulah Tillett producing two try assists after her late inclusion in the side. The Sharks scored first but they have struggled to find their rhythm in attack and have battled injuries on multiple fronts. Jacinta Carter will not return after two head knocks, while Rhiannon Byers was taken from the field in the final minute of the half for an HIA. Five-eighth Georgia Hannaway was also receiving treatment late in the period after copping a heavy blow to the ribs. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 12.

28th minute: North Queensland have capitalised on the field position, with the visitors continuing to send plenty of traffic towards Georgia Hannaway's defensive channel. This time it was Makenzie Weale who charged at the five-eighth and there was no stopping the powerful prop. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 12.

26th minute: Jacinta Carter's tough night has continued, with the prop involved in another head clash. Carter has been helped from the field and won't return. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have received a penalty after Cronulla failed to clean up a kick and have a fresh set of six inside the red zone. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 6.

25th minute: The Sharks have received a boost with Jacinta Carter passing her HIA and returning to the field, however the prop has spilled the ball with her team in attacking territory to hand possession back to North Queensland. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 6.

18th minute: We've had a successful captain's challenge by the Cowboys. The referee initially handed the Sharks a penalty for a strip, however the Bunker declared it was a loose carry and North Queensland have the ball in solid field position. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 6.

15th minute: Tahlulah Tillett has produced a superb double-pump to draw in the Sharks defenders and open up a big gap for Krystal Blackwell to charge through. Emma Manzelmann also sucked in the defence by running from dummy half and the visitors are in front. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 6.

10th minute: Georgia Ravics saved a try at one end and now she's scored at the other, with debutant Grace-Lee Weekes drawing in two defenders and producing a superb pass for her winger to cross in the corner. The try-scoring opportunity came after North Queensland made an error working out of their own end. Sharks 4 - Cowboys 0.

7th minute: We've had a stoppage after Jacinta Carter was involved in a head clash, with the Sharks prop leaving the field for a Head Injury Assessment. Sharks 0 - Cowboys 0.

5th minute: The Cowboys have come agonisingly close to opening the scoring, with Ana Malupo diving for the corner, however Georgia Ravics produced a superb cover tackle to take the winger out before she grounded the ball. Sharks 0 - Cowboys 0.

Kick-off: We are underway at Sharks Stadium, with Cronulla kicking off. The Sharks piled on the points in last week's win over the Raiders and they're looking to continue the free-flowing action tonight. As for Noth Queensland, coach Ricky Henry has shaken things up after a Round 2 loss to the Knights, with halfback Kirra Dibb replaced by Tahlulah Tillett in a bid to spark the side's attack. Sharks 0 - Cowboys 0.

Stat Attack

• The Sharks have won both matches played against the Cowboys.
• Cowboys fullback Jakiya Whitfeld has scored seven tries in her last 10 games.
• Sharks hooker Quincy Dodd has scored five tries in nine games at Sharks Stadium.

Late Mail

Sharks: With Kiwi centre Annessa Biddle serving a one-game suspension, 21-year-old Grace-Lee Weekes will make her NRLW debut in the centres after missing all of last season with a fractured fibula. Dom du Toit is the 18th player.

Cowboys: A second massive blow for the Cowboys in as many days with halfback Kirra Dib joining fullback Jakiya Whitfeld on the sidelines when the team was finalised 60 minutes before kick-off. Tahlulah Tillett will take over the playmaking duties, while Krystal Blackwell shifts to fullback and Tongan international Ana Malupo comes in on the wing for her NRLW debut. In a late positional change, PNG international Essay Banu will start in the second-row with Hailee-Jay Ormond-Maunsell moving to the bench.

Bulldogs v Dragons at Accor Stadium

Full-time: The Dragons have pulled off a miraculous victory, with Kasey Reh scoring with 30 seconds left on the clock. Veteran Nita Maynard-Perrin darted from dummy half, Reh was looming in support and she burst through the line to score in the final play of the game. Canterbury's unbeaten season has come to an end, while St George Illawarra have claimed a major scalp against a premiership contender. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 18.

69th minute: Canterbury have set up a field goal attempt, but Tayla Preston's shot sailed wide. The Dragons have 90 seconds to try and break the deadlock. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

68th minute: The Bulldogs will have a chance to win this game after Tayla Preston produced a swirling bomb. The Dragons were not able to clean it up and Canterbury have one set to set up a field goal. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14. 

67th minute: Raecene McGregor's long-range field goal attempt was on target, but it fell short and now the Bulldogs will look to work their way into field-goal position with three minutes to play. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

65th minute: We are into the final five minutes and this match is going to come down to who can make a big play with the game on the line. Bulldogs halfback Tayla Preston had the first chance to do so, but her field goal attempt hit the post and we remain locked up. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

59th minute: The Dragons have blown another prime opportunity. Kasey Reh through a dummy and darted straight through the defensive line. The five-eighth linked up with Ella Koster, who was dragged down 10 metres out from the try line. Koster attempted a quick play the ball but spilled the ball and the Bulldogs survive again. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

58th minute: We have another trip to the Bunker, with Nita Maynard-Perrin looking to burrow over from dummy half. It's a bit messy, the hooker thought she had grounded it but the video referee rules a knock on and the Bulldogs survive. To compound the error, Maynard-Perrin gives away a penalty on the first tackle and now the Bulldogs have a chance to build some pressure. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

55th minute: The Bulldogs have produced a silky outside-inside move that almost generated a break, however the St George Illawarra defence scrambled desperately to force an error. The game hangs in the balance with 15 minutes to play. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

50th minute: The Dragons' lead was short lived, with the Bulldogs capitalising on a Teagan Berry error to level the scores. The fullback almost burst through on halfway, only to spill the ball in contact. Her opposite Andie Robinson then made St George Illawarra pay, with the No.1 breaking a tackle and beating Berry in a race to the corner. Tayla Preston's sideline conversion clattered into the post and we are all locked up. Bulldogs 14 - Dragons 14.

47th minute: Hannah Southwell has taken matters into her own hands, beating five Bulldogs defenders and producing a string of powerful fends to score a stunning 40-metre solo try. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 14

46th minute: The ebbs and flows continue in what has been a high quality contest. St George Illawarra held their opponents out and now they've forced an error. The Dragons have a midfield scrum on halfway as they look to break the deadlock. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

43rd minute: The Bulldogs defended their own line and now the Dragons have conceded a penalty to provide their opponents with good attacking field position. Pressure now on St George Illawarra to hold firm. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

40th minute: There's been plenty of attacking action throughout the opening minutes of the second half, with both teams rolling down the field. The Dragons will have the first chance to build some sustained pressure after Margot Vella was caught high while returning a kick. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

Kick off: We are back at Accor Stadium with the Dragons kicking off to start the second half. The Bulldogs have all the momentum after repelling their opponents late in the first half and they'll be looking to strike first in the second. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

Half-time: We are all locked up at the break. St George Illawarra burst out of the blocks and scored two early tries before the Bulldogs forwards flexed their muscle and took control through the middle of the field. A pair of tries followed to level the scores at 10-10. 

The Dragons spent the last five minutes of the half camped in attacking territory, however they were not able to break through. Zali Hopkins came closest to scoring but she was just offside and her try was disallowed. Canterbury will take plenty of confidence from the defensive stand and they'll look to kick clear after the break. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

32nd minute: The Bulldogs have invited the Dragons back into attacking territory, with Kalosipani Hopoate spilling the ball. Canterbury's defence, however was up to the task, with the hosts holding up Pia Tapsell and Hannah Southwell over the line in successive plays to deny their opponents. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

29th minute: Zali Hopkins has been on the field for less than two minutes and she's almost crossed for a crucial try. The Dragons co-captain pounced on a Raecene McGregor grubber, however she was inches in front of the kicker and the Bunker has ruled no try. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

24th minute: The Bulldogs have drawn level after Ash Quinlan produced a superb cut out pass to take advantage of a disjointed Dragons right edge. The ball landed in winger Adi Vani Buleki's hands, who scored her first try in the NRLW. Tayla Preston then nailed the kick from out wide and we are all locked up. Bulldogs 10 - Dragons 10.

22nd minute: The Bulldogs have worked their way into the contest and have started to roll forward through the middle. Tayla Preston's kicking game has been on song and she's forced another line drop out, giving her side a chance to level the scores. Bulldogs 4 - Dragons 10.

12th minute: The Bulldogs have hit back, with Shaniece Monschau bursting through the line to put her side on the attack. Tayla Preston forced a line drop out a few plays later and centre Monica Tagoai muscled her way over to score on debut. Bulldogs 4 - Dragons 10.

8th minute: The Dragons are breathing fire at Accor Stadium. A dominant attacking set of six ended with a grubber into the in goal and a line drop out, with the visitors capitalising on a fresh set of six. Centre Keele Browne received the ball in space, produced a powerful fend and charged over the line. Bulldogs 0 - Dragons 10

4th minute: Yes they can. A quick play the ball laid the foundation for a short side attacking play, with Raecene McGregor combining with Teagan Berry to create an overlap and Indie Bostock strolled through a big hole to open the scoring for the Dragons. Bulldogs 0 - Dragons 6.

3rd minute: The Dragons are set for the first attacking opportunity of the contest after Raecene McGregor produced a superb 40-30. Let's see if they can capitalise. Bulldogs 0 - Dragons 0.

Kick off: We are underway at Accor Stadium, with the Bulldogs out to continue their unbeaten start to the season. The Dragons fell to the Roosters last week but they've shown they have the firepower to match it with the best teams in the competition. Family bragging rights are also on the line this afternoon in an intriguing subplot to this contest. Sisters Alexis and Trinity Tauaneai will go face to face, with Trinity set to start for the first time in her career after being promoted to the Dragons starting side in Saturday's 60-minute team update. Bulldogs 0 - Dragons 0.

Stat Attack

• The Bulldogs are aiming to become only the second NRLW club (after Brisbane 2018) to win its first three games.
• The Dragons have named the youngest line-up of any club in Round 3 (average age 23 and 320 days).
• Bulldogs lock Holli Wheeler will make her 40th NRLW appearance.

Late mail:

Bulldogs: No changes an hour out from kick-off after Simina Lokotui came in for  Moana Courtenay in the centres on Friday. Hope Millard makes her NRLW debut at prop in place of Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa (suspended). Anneka Wilson and Paea Uilou also make their debuts off the bench. Shaniece Monschau has been promoted from interchange to start in the second row in place of Latisha Smythe. Lock Holli Wheeler will make her 40th NRLW appearance.

Dragons: Trinity Tauaneai and hooker Nita Maynard-Perrin have come into the starting side an hour before kick-off with Zali Hopkins and Pia Tapsell going to the bench. Bobbi Law (appendix surgery) is facing up to eight weeks out so Keele Browne shifts to centre, with Alice Gregory to start on the wing. Charlotte Basham (knee) will miss this week with Shenai Lendill coming in to start. Bronte Wilson moves onto the interchange. Maynard-Perrin makes her 40th NRLW appearance, just the 16th player in the competition's history to reach the milestone.

Raiders v Eels at GIO Stadium

Full-time: That is full-time in Canberra, with the Eels claiming a dominant 46-12 victory over the Raiders. Halves Rachael Pearson and Cassey Tohi-Hiku pulled the strings and dissected their opponents with a superb kicking game. While they looked good in attack, the Raiders struggled defensively through the middle of the field and put themselves under pressure with multiple errors. Raiders 12 - Eels 46.

65th minute: Rachael Pearson has controlled this contest with her boot and now she has a try of her own. Ryvrr-Lee Alo capitalised on some space around the ruck to break through the Raiders midfield defence, with Pearson charging through in support to finish off the line break. Raiders 12 - Eels 46.

63rd minute: We're off to the Bunker, with Chloe Jackson claiming her second try of the match. After a Rachael Pearson bomb, the referee has spotted a slight knock on from Eels utility Fleur Ginn in the contest for the ball and the Bunker agrees, ruling no try. Raiders 12 - Eels 40.

58th minute: Chloe Jackson has crossed for the Eels' seventh try of the afternoon. A Raiders error put the visitors back on the attack, with dummy half Taneka Todhunter showing to the left before turning to the right and sending Jackson over. Raiders 12 - Eels 40.

55th minute: Canberra debutant Elise Simpson has produced another try-saving tackle, this time stopping a barnstorm Mahalia Murphy. The Eels skipper had burst through the defensive line before charging straight at Simpson, but the Raiders fullback was up to the task. The hosts scrambled well to defend their line and turn their opponents away. Raiders 12 - Eels 34.

50th minute: The Raiders have got one back, with Zahara Temara forcing an error with a towering bomb. The hosts capitalised, attacked to the left and Madison Bartlett scored her second in the corner. Raiders 12 - Eels 34

45th minute: The Eels continue to do everything right, defending their own line before capitalising on opportunities in attacking territory. Rachael Pearson's boot has again played a key role, the halfback producing a perfect bomb for Zali Fay, who leapt for the ball and offloaded to centre Rory Owen for her second try of the day. Raiders 8 - Eels 34

Kick-off: We are back underway in Canberra, with the Eels having first use of the football and enjoying a perfect start, with a penalty in their first attacking set of six. Chloe Jackson then came charging through and had a flying Abbi Church on her outside, but took the fullback on and was dragged down. The attacking opportunity continued and emerging forward Tess McWilliams crashed over from short range to extend her side's lead. Raiders 8 - Eels 28.

Half-time: The Parramatta kicking game has been the difference in this contest and the Eels finished the half with another try off the back of a kick. All four of the side's first-half tries came after Canberra failed to clean up a kick and this could be the most costly. Cassey Tohi-Hiku chipped over the top, Raiders fullback Elise Simpson copped an awful bounce and Mahalia Murphy charged through to scoop up the ball and score in the final play of the half. Raiders 8 - Eels 22.

32nd minute: The Eels survive after Grace Kemp through a no-look offload straight to a Parramatta player. The Raiders forward was charging towards the line and would have gone close to scoring herself had she held on to the ball. Raiders 8 - Eels 16.

31st minute: The Raiders have found their stride now, making metres down both edges and through the middle. Madison Bartlett came close to scoring her second, while Chloe Saunders was also stopped just short of the line. The attacking phase came to an end when the Eels defused a kick, but the Raiders are back on the attack after Abbi Church spilled the ball in a tackle. Parramatta challenged the knock on decision, but it was unsuccessful and Canberra have a late chance to strike. Raiders 8 - Eels 16.

27th minute: Elise Simpson has had a tough afternoon gathering kicks, but she's just shown what she can do with ball in hand. The debutant picked up a kick, broke a tackle and burst through the defensive line. Simpson ran 80 metres before she was eventually dragged down, with Leianne Tufuga scoring out wide a couple of plays later. Raiders 8 - Eels 16.

25th minute: An important defensive set by the Raiders as we enter the final stages of the first half. Rachael Pearson forced another error through her boot, handing the Eels a fresh attacking set of six. Rueben Cherrington came close, however she was held up, but the hosts defused a Pearson grubber to survive the test. Raiders 4 - Eels 16.

20th minute: Eels five-eighth Cassey Tohi-Hiku has shown she has a kicking game to match her halfback, with the youngster producing a booming bomb to put Raiders fullback Elise Simpson under considerable pressure. The debutant was not able to reel it in, with Eels centre Rory Owen charging through to gather the loose ball and score her side's third try of the match. Raiders 4 - Eels 16.

12th minute: The Raiders have hit back through Madison Bartlett in the corner. A penalty handed the hosts a chance to attack and they promptly made the most of their first opportunity in prime field position. Bartlett finished off a well-executed left shift to score her third try of the season. Raiders 4 - Eels 10.

8th minute: Parramatta are on song in Canberra, with Racheal Pearson continuing to surgically dissect the Raiders with her boot. The visitors rolled 70 metres down the field in the set after points, allowing Pearson to put up an attacking bomb. Zahara Temara spilled the ball, Chloe Jackson picked it up, linked up with Martha Mataele, who outmuscled the Raiders defence to score in the corner. Raiders 0 - Eels 10

5th minute: The Eels have showed plenty of attacking intent throughout the opening exchanges, with Raiders errors and Rachael Pearson's kicking game combining to put the visitors on the front foot. Canberra failed to clean up a Pearson kick and Parramatta quickly capitalised after Rueben Cherrington darted over from dummy half. Raiders 0 - Eels 6

Kick-off: We are underway in the nation's capital, with Rachael Pearson kicking off the first match of an NRLW triple header. The Eels are desperate to bounce back from last week's loss to the Warriors, while the Raiders are still chasing their first victory over the season and are out to snap an eight-game losing streak in Canberra. Fullback Elise Simpson will make her NRLW debut for the Raiders, while Parramatta welcome back skipper Mahalia Murphy for the clash. Raiders 0 - Eels 0.

Stat Attack

• The Raiders have lost their last eight games at GIO Stadium.
• Eels halfback Rachael Pearson has kicked seven goals from nine attempts at GIO Stadium.
• Raiders winger Madison Bartlett has been a try scorer in both games against the Eels.

Late Mail

Raiders: Amelia Pasikala has been promoted to the bench and is set to make her first appearance for the season. Tatiana Finau drops back to 18th player as a result. Earlier, Cheyelle Robins-Reti was shifted from fullback to centre in place of Mackenzie Wiki, with teenager Elise Simpson coming in at the back for her debut. After coming off the bench last week, Chante Temara will start at hooker in place of Emma Barnes (concussion protocols)​. Lili Boyle returns on the bench after debuting in Round 1 and missing Round 2. 

Eels: Captain Mahalia Murphy will play her first game of the season after coming into the side in Saturday's final team update. The Jillaroo had been battling a hamstring injury and will start in the back row. Paige Travis shifts to the bench with Rysh'e Fa'amausili the new 18th player. No other changes to the side named on Tuesday as the Eels look to bounce back in Canberra.