The seventh NRLW season is about to kick-off with six Sky Blues crowned as either captain or co-captain of their clubs for 2024.
Two Origin players face off in the first match of the season tomorrow night (Thursday 25 July), when Newcastle Knights skipper Hannah Southwell leads the defending premiers against the 2021 champions Sydney Roosters with Isabelle Kelly as skipper.
The other four NSW players are (pictured above) Kezie Apps (Wests Tigers), (pictured below) Tiana Penitani (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks), and while Kirra Dibb is co-captain with Talisha Harden at the North Queensland Cowboys and Simaima Taufa with Zahara Temara at the Canberra Raiders.
NSWRL Club Support Co-ordinator for the Newcastle area Michelle Graham was guest speaker at the Knights jersey presentation, where eight of the 24-squad are locals.
“I just spoke to them about how the women’s game got up and running in Newcastle and how well our pathways with the Westpac Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale Cups are working,” she said. Both those Knights Junior Reps teams made the finals earlier this year.
“I just wanted them to understand the history and that it wasn’t always easy. The women’s game has now come so far. Some thought they’d never see an Origin match in Newcastle, but it happened this year.”
NSWRL figures show that 60 per cent of the entire playing group across all 10 NRLW clubs have come from the Tarsha Gale Cup (Under 19s) and Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership competitions.
The 2024 NRLW season features 45 matches to be played across 15 venues.
The NRLW Grand Final will be played on Sunday, 6 October, together with the NRL Grand Final.
This season of elite women’s Rugby League comes off the back of the first three-game Women’s State of Origin series, won by the Maroons 2-1. Game Two was played at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium.
“The players delivered on the field with an exciting, attacking brand of football and that translated to record attendances and viewership across the Origin series,” NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo said.
“Games Two and Three were both sold out and attracted TV audiences of more than one million viewers, shattering the previous benchmarks for women’s Rugby League.
“We now take this incredible momentum into the NRLW season, and we are excited to see the continued growth of the Telstra Women’s Premiership.”
The NRLW expands to 12 clubs in 2025, when Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and NZ Warriors join the competition.
