Four NSW players are among the 10 women nominated for the 2023 NRLW Veronica White Medal for players who go above and beyond on and off the field.
Each of the 10 NRLW clubs submitted a name to the NRL with the list published this week on NRL.com so fans can then vote for their NRLW Woman of the Year – similar to the men’s Ken Stephen Medal winner for players who do great things among community or charity work.
Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues forward Kennedy Cherrington was the 2022 Veronica White Medal winner for charity work with the ‘Heart Kids’ foundation – helping children understand and deal with heart conditions.
This is the fifth year the medal has been awarded on NRLW Grand Final day (Sunday 1 October).
This year Wests Tigers fullback Botille Vette-Welsh, who played for the Sky Blues in 2019-2021; Parramatta forward Shontelle Stowers, a NSW teammate of Vette-Welsh in 2019; Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks fullback Jada Taylor, who was NSW U19s No.1 in 2022; and Sydney Roosters winger Brydie Parker, who was on the Sky Blues extended bench in 2021; have been nominated.
Vette-Welsh and Parker have returned from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries in 2022, which ruined their Origin chances last year.
But both women used that rehabilitation time to do extra community work for their clubs.
Vette-Welsh spent time on regular hospital and school visits, and charity drives for groups such as Muscular Dystrophy NSW.
Parker volunteered her time to work with junior clubs and schools through the NRL’s Roads to Regions 2023 initiative, along with the Roosters’ Steggles Roadshow to Griffith.
She is passionate about delivering health and wellbeing programs to children, meeting with school staff, conducting junior sports clinics.
Stowers is also committed to helping young girls at the grassroots of Rugby League and makes regular visits to clubs and schools along with a connection with Ronald McDonald House.
Taylor is heavily involved in the ‘Sharks Have Hearts’ program, especially among Indigenous communities as she is a proud Gamilaroi woman from Tamworth.
