Rivalry round at Davies Park was always going to be big game, and Norths Devils made the most of it, running out 28-0 winners over the Magpies in a tight arm-wrestle that the visitors edged in the key moments.
The Devils struck first through Tayla Sykes in the 11th minute, Natalie Wright adding the extras for a 0-6 lead. The Magpies defence dug in from there, holding firm for the next 20 minutes, but Jazmin Lord forced her way over just before the break to push the margin to 0-10 at halftime. It was a scoreline that still had the Magpies well within touch.
The second half told a different story as the Devils began to find their range. Ana Taumalolo crossed early in the half to make it 0-16, before Izzy Northrop extended the lead to 0-20 just after the hour mark. Taumalolo grabbed her second in the 69th minute, and Wright's conversion sealed the 28-0 scoreline at full time.
It wasn't the result the Magpies wanted on home turf, but there were signs of the growth that's coming. The girls stayed in the fight for a half against a quality Devils outfit, and credit must go to Norths for taking their chances when it mattered on rivalry round. This is still early in the season, and not every week is going to be the Magpies' week, the job now is to take the lessons from this one and build again.