With three expansion teams in the Gold Coast Titans, Newcastle Knights and of course the Parramatta Eels joining the NRLW in 2022, the landscape of the entire competition has changed forever. Perhaps for the first time ever the balance of power could even shift away from the Brisbane Broncos. Dean Widders and Simaima Taufa helm an uncharted foray into this brave new world in the NRLW in 2022 for the Blue & Gold and expectations are certainly high in Parramatta’s inaugural campaign. Regardless of how it all plays out I am here for the entirety of this exciting journey for this year and beyond.

The Eels meet a sister expansion team in Round 1 as they travel to McDonald Jones Stadium to take on the Knights and they will be bringing an enticing balance of experience and exuberance to the table for the clash. Seasoned veterans and superstars like Botille Vette-Welsh, Tiana Penitani, Maddie Studdon, Kennedy Cherrington, Nita Maynard and aforementioned captain Simaima Taufa will no doubt be a deciding factor in guiding Parramatta to victory but there will be plenty of rookies keen to shine as well.

Taina Naividi, Abbi Church, Seli Mailangi, Therese Aiton as well as Maori All-Star Jocephy Daniels and Indigenous All-Star Tommaya Kelly-Sines will all be making their NRLW debuts on Sunday. Capturing that elusive balance of experience, energy, grit and strike power (as well as so many other factors) needed to claim a premiership can be so difficult but on paper this is an outfit that can ask serious questions of the powerhouse Broncos.

Still, for the the team, for fans and even for the competition itself this entire season will be a journey of learning and understanding following large scale expansion. As our players comes to understand their own strengths and where their limits limits may lie – or if they even exist – so too will we familiarise ourselves with each and every player and the identify of the team as a whole.

And it all begins this Sunday! Make sure to catch the action live in person at Newcastle or via broadcast on Nine, Foxtel or Kayo and stay tuned for pre and post-match coverage here on TCT!

NRLW Team List

1. Botille Vette-Welsh
2. Taina Naividi
3. Tiana Penitani
4. Jocephy Daniels
5. Rikeya Horne
6. Sereana Naitokatoka
7. Maddie Studdon
8. Kennedy Cherrington
9. Nita Maynard
10. Tommaya Kelly-Sines
11. Ellie Johnston
12. Jade Etherden
13. Simaima Taufa ©

14. Seli Mailangi
15. Filomina Hanisi
16. Therese Aiton
17. Abbi Church
18. Christine Pauli

If you liked this article, you might consider supporting The Cumberland Throw.