PORT Stephens rugby league sensation Lilly-Ann White has experienced grand final heartbreak for the second time this season.

The emerging Newcastle Knights fullback tasted defeat in the Harvey Norman NSW Womens premiership decider last weekend at CommBank Stadium – just five months after experiencing a grand final loss in the Under 19s Tarsha Gale Cup.

Both defeats were at the hands of the powerful Illawarra Steelers club, which still boasts one of the best junior nurseries on the national rugby league scene.

In a cracking contest, eighteen-year-old White produced a sharp performance in the number one jumper but couldn’t stop the Steelers from registering a maiden title with a 10-6 triumph.

Newcastle led 6-4 after a converted try by hooker Leah Ollerton with fourteen minutes left on the clock, before Illawarra’s rampaging prop Bronte Wilson turned premiership hero by scoring under the posts in the dying moments.

After skippering the Knights in their 24-12 grand final loss to the Steelers in the Tarsha Gale Cup earlier this season, the talented White was blooded in the NRLW ranks where she turned in solid displays on the wing.

The Raymond Terrace Roosters junior product also represented the NSW Under 19s, helping the Sky Blues trounce their Queensland rivals 46-4 in a State of Origin showdown at Leichhardt Oval.

By Chris KARAS