Premiership contenders, rookies to watch and title predictions: Everything you need to know about the 2024 NRLW season

A bunch of established powers and younger groups on the rise will lock horns because the 2024 NRLW season will get underway this weekend.

With Newcastle chasing a third-straight premiership, Gold Coast trying to go one higher and the competitors’s newer golf equipment scrambling to make up the bottom earlier than the subsequent spherical of enlargement in 2025, it guarantees to be probably the most intriguing seasons but.

Forward of the Knights’ conflict with the Roosters on Thursday evening, here is all the things it is advisable to know within the final information to the NRLW season.

Brisbane Broncos

The Broncos are by no means at a loss for expertise and will as soon as once more be among the many premiership contenders. Their already robust ahead pack has been boosted by the recruitment of Queensland ahead Keilee Joseph and between Ali Brigginshaw, Gayle Broughton and Mele Hufanga their again line has a tantalising mixture of crafty and velocity.

A gradual begin price Brisbane dearly in 2023 however after dropping their first two matches, the one facet to decrease their colors via the remainder of the marketing campaign had been eventual premiers Newcastle. They scored the second-most factors of any workforce within the league and with Scott Prince returning as coach, count on that attacking verve to proceed.

This can be a facet with excessive expectations and something lower than a grand ultimate look will really feel like a misplaced alternative.

Key participant: Gamers have grown outdated ready for time to decelerate Brigginshaw however the best participant of her age remains to be among the best playmakers within the sport. The 34-year-old is coming off a terrific Origin sequence and can as soon as once more maintain a lot of Brisbane’s premiership hopes in her arms.

Rising star: Gayle Broughton carried a critical again damage via the 2023 season, one so extreme she thought of retirement. When match, the previous New Zealand sevens star is likely one of the league’s deadliest attacking gamers however the again downside means a robust back-up is crucial.

Enter 18-year-old Skyla Adams, a Queensland Beneath 19s consultant who will make her NRLW debut within the season opener towards the Eels. A cultured playmaker who’s coming off a strong debut season within the Brisbane premiership, Adams is a participant of immense promise.

Prediction: third

Canberra Raiders

After a debut season the place they exceeded expectations and fell only one win wanting the semi-finals, retention is the secret for the Raiders in 2024. They had been the best-performing of final season’s 4 new sides however fell quick towards the competitors’s elite, missing cohesion at key moments.

That is an issue that may simply be solved because the squad spends extra time collectively, which places Canberra within the body for a maiden finals run this time round. Between inspirational lock Simaima Taufa, who leads probably the most highly effective ahead packs within the competitors, and the playmaking duo of five-eighth Zahara Temara and fullback Apii Nicholls, the Raiders ought to have a excessive ground on their efficiency this season.

Discovering a strategy to increase that ceiling and slim the hole to the competitors’s elite will decide their destiny this season.

Key participant: Canberra are blessed with measurement and energy throughout the park however they want Temara to deliver all of it collectively. The Queensland consultant began final season in blinding kind, to the purpose the place she was near the competitors’s greatest participant via 5 weeks, however the again half of the marketing campaign was extra of a battle.

As their talismanic five-eighth went, so did the Raiders — they misplaced three of their final 4 to slide outdoors the highest 4 but when Temara can recapture that kind and improve her mixture with the remainder of the backbone, she’ll be a Dally M contender. She’s additionally bought one thing of a degree to show after being dropped from the Queensland Origin facet following their Recreation I defeat.

Rising star: Coming into her third NRLW season at simply 20 years of age, Monalisa Soliola has been an early starter and the time attracts close to when the towering back-rower is likely one of the most harmful forwards within the competitors.

Cellular and highly effective, Soliola was a robust risk down the left edge final 12 months and as her capacity to run strains and goal smaller defenders improves, she’ll solely develop into all of the extra damaging.

Prediction: Lacking finals

Cronulla Sharks

Inconsistency in assault was the hallmark of Cronulla’s debut NRLW season — they scored simply 20 factors in three weeks to start the 12 months however ended the season by turning into the primary workforce within the competitors’s historical past to interrupt 50 factors in a match.

Narrowing the hole between their greatest and their worst will likely be key to the Sharks’ top-four hopes this season. There may be nice attacking class of their facet, particularly in five-eighth Emma Tonegato and fullback Jada Taylor, however bringing all that expertise collectively might be simpler stated than performed and their margin for error appears a little bit skinny.

A ahead pack that is heavy on staff and expertise however a little bit mild on uncooked energy may very well be their undoing however prop Ellie Johnston is an exception in that regard and will likely be anticipated to guide from the entrance.

Key participant: Tonegato made a great fist of her transfer from five-eighth to fullback final season — her distinctive working sport means she can be successful at nearly any place on the sphere, however because the 12 months progressed she appeared extra snug as a creator. That development should proceed in 2024 if the Sharks are to provide the finals a shake they usually’ll rely closely on the New South Wales consultant.

Rising star: It stays to be seen simply the place the Sharks will play Georgia Hannaway, however the former Australian sevens consultant shapes as an enormous a part of the membership’s future.

Coming off a stellar season with Norths Devils within the Brisbane premiership, the place she helped the membership to a grand ultimate berth, Hannaway shapes as an astute signing for the Sharks, who will deliver her off the bench towards North Queensland for her NRLW debut this weekend.

Prediction: Lacking finals

Gold Coast Titans

The Titans did not simply fall quick in final 12 months’s grand ultimate towards Newcastle, they did so in agonising, brutal style, conceding two tries within the ultimate 10 minutes to let the possibility on the membership’s first premiership in any grade slip via their fingers.

Their capacity to shrug off that defeat will outline or destroy their possibilities of going one higher this season. Apart from Steph Hancock, all their key gamers are returning and five-eighth Taliah Fuimaono is on the comeback path after lacking all however one sport final season on account of damage.

A grand ultimate loss is usually a propulsive drive that drives a workforce to go one higher or a reminiscence that drags a workforce down as they’re haunted by the ghost of what may need been. A kind of issues will likely be true for the Titans and solely time will inform which.

Key participant: There may be no extra damaging attacking drive within the NRLW than Jamie Chapman and getting the long-striding centre as a lot early ball as doable needs to be one among Gold Coast’s high attacking priorities in each sport they play.

The 22-year-old struck up a positive mixture with halfback Lauren Brown over the again half of final season and persevering with to develop that dynamic shapes as Gold Coast’s greatest likelihood of going one higher than final 12 months.

Rising star: Younger ahead Rilee Jorgensen confirmed flashes of her immense capacity in her debut NRLW season final 12 months and is predicted to spherical out the Titans’ ahead rotation once more in 2024.

Nonetheless a teen, Jorgensen is understood for her highly effective defence and provides a rugged aspect to Karyn Murphy’s facet.

Prediction: Premiers

Newcastle Knights

Again-to-back premierships are onerous to argue with and Newcastle will fancy their possibilities of matching the Broncos sides of the NRLW’s earliest years and claiming a third-straight title.

All the standard suspects — like Tamika Upton, Yasmin Clydsdale, Caitlin Johnston-Inexperienced and the Southwell sisters — are again once more because the Knights form because the workforce to beat but once more. Their best problem could come off the sphere with two-time premiership coach Ronald Griffiths shifting on and former North Queensland mentor Ben Jeffries taking up.

The facet’s capacity to adapt to that transition will go a protracted strategy to deciding their possibilities of a hat-trick of titles.

Key participant: Between her 4 NRLW premierships, back-to-back Karyn Murphy Medals as the very best participant within the grand ultimate and the Dally M medal she received final season, the load of Tamika Upton’s latest achievements is astonishing. The 27-year-old is definitely the very best participant on the planet and so long as she strains up at fullback, Newcastle will stay one of many sharpest attacking groups within the league.

Rising star: At 27, Grace Kukutai is a little bit older than your standard debutant however the New Zealander has already established a adorned profession throughout two different sports activities.

Initially a netballer with Northern Mystics, Kukutai switched to rugby in 2019 and performed for Cheifs Manawa in Tremendous Rugby Aupiki earlier than becoming a member of the Knights this season the place she’ll add to the membership’s again row shares.

Prediction: 2nd

North Queensland Cowboys

It would take some time earlier than we see the perfect of North Queensland at NRLW degree. The area has a robust native competitors and giving the expertise from the realm time to filter via to the highest degree would require some persistence.

Within the meantime, the Cowboys ought to see some enchancment from their debut season final 12 months. New coach Ricky Henry is skilled on the high degree by way of his time with the New Zealand Take a look at facet and within the likes of Kirra Dibb, Emma Manzelman and China Polata, the Cowboys have a robust nucleus to construct round within the years to come back.

That course of will take time, however the Cowboys are getting there and taking steps like recruiting fast outdoors again Jakiya Whitfeld from the Tigers and signing a number of gamers from Mackay’s champion Brisbane premiership facet will assist issues alongside.

Key participant: Dibb was North Queensland’s greatest participant final 12 months as she thrived answerable for her personal facet but when the Cowboys are to enhance on their two wins, they will want different gamers to go together with the previous New South Wales five-eighth.

The perfect candidate for that’s English worldwide Francesca Goldthorp, who impressed together with her working sport and work fee at fullback final season earlier than damage ended her season prematurely.

Rising star: The aforementioned Mackay quartet of Ebony Rafstrand-Smith, Libby Surha, Lily Peacock, Lillian Yarrow all performed their half within the Cutters’ grand ultimate win however Peacock stood tallest, incomes participant of the match honours within the 16-6 win over Norths Devils as she churned via greater than 200 metres within the entrance row.

Peacock performed three matches for the Cowboys final season however is predicted to play a better function within the facet this time round.

Prediction: Lacking finals

Parramatta Eels

It has been a tricky begin to life within the NRLW for Parramatta — they’ve received simply 5 video games throughout three seasons and whereas there is a grand ultimate look in there, it was very a lot a product of a smaller competitors.

Final 12 months’s picket spoon marketing campaign was brutal with a slim win over the Cowboys the only victory for the blue and golds. A change within the coach’s field, with Dean Widders giving strategy to Steve Georgallis, will assist the membership get off to a contemporary begin however getting again to competition will likely be a prolonged course of. Apart from Rachael Pearson, Elsie Albert and Kennedy Cherrington, their roster is a little bit mild on star energy and it might take just a few years for his or her robust junior numbers to filter via to the highest degree.

Key participant: Albert is likely one of the most damaging forwards within the sport when match however accidents restricted her to only one look for the Eels final season and the membership suffered badly for it. The highly effective front-rower ought to give Parramatta a toughness and physicality they sorely lacked final season and, together with Cherrington, she’ll kind the cornerstone of the Eels pack.

Rising star: A former Black Ferns consultant, Rosie Kelly ought to give the Eels some much-needed creativity and strike out broad. A five-eighth in rugby, Kelly will line up within the centres for Parramatta’s season opener towards Brisbane and can look to make use of her sharp footwork and good flip of tempo in her new code.

Prediction: Backside 4

St George Illawarra Dragons

No workforce has skilled extra turnover in latest seasons than the Dragons. Solely two gamers stay on the membership from the facet that made the 2021 grand ultimate as coach Jamie Soward manages the tough activity of completely revamping his roster.

The Crimson V missed out on the finals final 12 months however there have been some inexperienced shoots — Teagan Berry emerged as an elite fullback, Margot Vella skilled a positive rookie season on the wing and rugby convert Tyla King emerged as a intelligent foil for halfback Raecene McGregor.

King’s absence as she performs within the Paris Olympics is a heavy blow to the membership’s finals hopes but it surely might give the possibility for some younger expertise to come back via — Zali Hopkins will get first crack on the five-eighth jersey however New South Wales Beneath 19s halfback Kasey Reh, who will make her NRLW debut off the bench this weekend, might take the jersey earlier than lengthy.

Key participant: Berry was a succesful and dependable winger via her first three seasons with the Dragons however few would have anticipated her to blow up to life like she did upon shifting to fullback final 12 months.

Eleven tries in 9 video games solely half tells the story as Berry torched opposition defenders together with her velocity and footwork. So long as she’s round, the Dragons have a combating likelihood.

Rising star: Reh’s debut this weekend will likely be one to look at because the Wollongong junior is likely one of the most adorned younger gamers lately. She captained Illawarra’s Tarsha Gale Cup facet to a premiership earlier this 12 months, profitable the participant of the 12 months award within the course of, earlier than captaining the Blues Beneath 19s facet final month and incomes greatest on floor honours within the massive win over Queensland.

The intelligent halfback appears to have a limitless future.

Prediction: Lacking finals

Sydney Roosters

The Roosters are essentially the most constant NRLW workforce of latest years — over the previous 4 seasons, they’ve solely missed the highest two as soon as and that was the season they claimed their maiden premiership. With a positive system run by coach John Unusual and a gifted, versatile squad, the Tricolours are seemingly perpetual title contenders.

Nevertheless, their season has gotten off to a tough begin. Skipper Corban Baxter will miss your entire season on account of damage, as will Shawden Burton, whereas Brydie Parker will likely be out for as much as six weeks with a damaged arm.

Even so, Sam Bremner’s return from retirement will give them a lift if the previous Jillaroos fullback can regain something near her greatest kind and between Millie Elliott, Olivia Kernick and Keeley Davis, the ahead pack has sufficient firepower to deliver any facet to heel. The diploma of problem will likely be increased, however this facet remains to be very a lot within the combine.