Panorama Platypi fullback Erin Naden named best on ground in Western Women's Rugby League grand final

On Saturday as the Panorama Platypi posted a 20-10 win over Goannas in the opens Western Women's Rugby League grand final, it was Naden who impressed most.

She picked up best on ground honours at Wellington's Kennard Park.

The fullback crossed for the Platypi's first try, but it was her defensive work that shone for the premiers. Her organisation from the back stopped the Goannas attack on many occasions.

Naden said her side's defensive steel all came from work done on the training paddock.

"Right from the start of the season we had Kurt Hancock come out and help us with our defence," she said.

"That continued on right up until our very last training session where we worked on our defensive structure.

"We had the attacking skills, but defence is what we worked on pretty much all season."

The player of the match added despite the 10-point margin in the end, the game was always a battle.

"I'm feeling not too bad, pretty sore to be honest," she said.

"It was a pretty hard game, the Goannas came out and put some pretty big hits on us."

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The grand final win caps off a stunning year for Naden after she won the Group 10 league tag premiership with St Pat's and had success in the Sydney AFL women's premier division with East Coast Eagles.

Though it took a little convincing to get Naden to return to the Platypi this season, once she agreed to play a third premiership was always part of her hit list for 2022.

"It's pretty good, it was always in the back of my mind to get a third win for the year, so it was good to get it," she said.

"It took a lot of convincing to get me to play in this competition, but they managed to get me there so it was pretty to get the win in the end, it was worth it."

One of the people who worked on convincing Naden to play this season was Platypi opens coach Kevin Grimshaw, who previously worked with the star fullback in 2020.

He was glad to have her and was impressed by her efforts in the grand final.

"She played with me the first time I started coaching, she had a season off and then came back," he said.

"She had a pretty good grand final, she scored a try and was involved in another try too.

"She had three hit ups in the one set and we scored from her making good yards from those hit ups.

"So she had a big hand in that try even though she didn't score."

As good as Naden was for the Platypi this season - she scored five tries and saved countless others - Grimshaw thinks she can become even better.

He'd love to see the talented custodian get more involved and showcase the natural attacking skills she's developed playing league tag for St Pat's.

"She pokes along and all of a sudden she goes bang, bang. You don't know she's on there half the time then when she gets the ball she says 'Thank very much'," he said.

"She's got to learn the more involvement she has in a game the better she'll get, but she'll pick that up."

As well as being impressed by what Naden produced on Saturday, Grimshaw also praised the efforts of centre Meredith Jones and five-eighth Nicole Schneider.

"I thought Meredith played well and Nicole Schneider, she went really, really, really well," he said.

"For a girl that hasn't played six in big games, she usually plays in the centres, she carried herself very good."

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