Wild weather in Newcastle has wreaked havoc with the opening day of the NRLW's first-ever Magic Round. All three matches on the first afternoon of the two-day extravaganza were played in torrential conditions, while the Tigers-Roosters match was temporarily delayed due to an approaching thunderstorm. With the Tricolours leading 20-4 five minutes into the second half, play was suspended for 35 minutes after lightning was detected in the area. Such measures are uncommon in first-grade rugby league but not unprecedented — a men's match between Canterbury and South Sydney in June was delayed for the same reason. Before the delay, conditions were already challenging, with water pooling across the pitch under the heavy downpour. The rain made handling especially difficult in the opening match of the day between the Bulldogs and the Titans, which ended in a 14-all draw — the first stalemate in the competition's seven-year history. "You have to play in any conditions at the end of the day," said Bulldogs captain Tayla Preston. "Errors are going to happen in that weather, but there was a period of about five minutes where none of us could see the ball or the players. "But we had the fans turn out, and both teams tried to do their best with the conditions." In the second match of the day, the Roosters resumed control on resumption of their game against the Tigers and ran out 34-6 winners. Star centre Isabelle Kelly ran in a double as the premiership favourites stayed unbeaten in a comprehensive performance. The opening day wraps up with a match between Brisbane and Cronulla before another triple-header on Sunday. But the heavens are expected to open yet again, with up to 35mm of rain expected in the Hunter. Despite the poor conditions, Titans captain Georgia Hale praised the concept and commended the fans who made the trip to Hunter Stadium to brave the rain. "The occasion of the weekend is really special. It's great to create history and be in the inaugural game," Hale said. "To still see bums on seats supporting our game, and hopefully they stay for the entire weekend, was really special. "It's hard to reflect on our own performance and put a smile on it, though we really wanted the two points today."