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The 2023 NRLW season is about to begin and the race for this year’s premiership is shaping up to be quite literally bigger and better than ever. With four expansion teams joining the fray and a burgeoning talent pool there is every reason to believe that this will be the best season ever for the growing competition.
Sixties and Forty20 are joined by one of the most prominent voices in the field as Mary K (Ladies Who League) joins The Tip Sheet to talk both the Parramatta Eels and the NRLW as a whole.
Pure excitement for the season is tempered early on by concerns with the stalled collective bargaining agreement negotiations. That is followed by frustrations with a bizarre schedule for State Of Origin as the two game series ate into squad preseasons.
There is plenty to get pumped up about though as Mary talks the boys through the new look Eels squad. Which new faces will shine and will the Blue & Gold miss any of their former players? Parramatta launch their campaign with a standalone fixture against the Tigers at CommBank Stadium on Sunday. It is a huge statement of self-belief for the code and the show looks at what sort of turnout we can expect for the Eels.
Favourite NRLW players and a massive preview of Round 1 and the finals prospects of each team round out the show. Traditional powerhouses in the Broncos and Roosters look set to contend for the title once more but sharp recruitment from the Cronulla Sharks has them looming as dark horses. 2023 winners and runners-up in the Knights and Eels are also positioned well to push for the Top 4 but the playing field is loaded with hungry rosters!
Perhaps Mary can explain with the salary cap the same across all teams how for some reason can the Roosters have a stacked team of rep and intl players , Millie Boyle and Taryn Aiken jointing and many others.
Guess its due to cheaper rental in the Eastern suburbs , not so much envy but how do they do it across both NRL and NRLW .
It’s a star studded team. Even more than the NRL side
I’d be interested to see how the Roosters “Indigenous Academy” Tarsha Gale team operates, especially since every season the side is packed with talented players from around Australia & NZ irrespective of their Indigenous heritage.
I think the Roosters were very smart in setting up their academy. You are probably keen to know what they provide in recruiting such players. Accommodation? Education? Employment opportunities? I think they’ve found a niche where they don’t really have the junior competition from which they can draw. They are indeed talented and perform strongly every season – terrific to watch.