[image]
[title]In its sixth season, the NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership has expanded for 2023 – more teams, games, players and skill than ever before, and you’ll be able to watch every game during prime time on free-to-air TV. Six of the 10 teams in the NRLW Premiership are from NSW, so Sydneysiders – if you haven’t already, it’s time to get around the biggest national women’s sporting league our state has ever seen.
Time Out Sydney editor Alice Ellis is a big women’s sports fan. As well as having previously led the Women in Sport Awards back in her role as deputy editor of Women’s Health magazine, she has also worked at the NRL, for NRL Touch Football, back when the NRL Women’s competition first launched. With 17 games of the NRLW being held all around Sydney, she’s keen to encourage her Time Out audience to get behind these athletes during this bumper season, so she’s put together this explainer – find out how to watch and everything else you need to know to follow along.
What’s new for the 2023 season of NRLW?
For 2023, the number of teams in the NRLW competition has increased from six to 10. The Wests Tigers, Cronulla Sutherland Sharks, Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys have now joined the existing teams – the Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels, St George Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights, Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans – in the comp.
The biggest NRLW Premiership ever will feature nine regular-season rounds before the semi-finals and Grand Final. And, for the first time, matches will be played in prime time, with every match being broadcast free-to-air on TV (the Nine Network) nationally.
The teams have also spent more time in pre-season training, and there’s a bigger payment pool for players this year, with the salary cap per club rising significantly.
When does the NRLW season start and what are the key dates?
The NRLW 2023 season kicks off on Saturday, July 22, and runs for nine rounds, followed by semi-finals. You can view dates of all games in the NRLW draw here.
Round 2 is Harvey Norman Women in League Round, which includes a bumper NRLW double-header at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday, July 30, featuring the Tigers, Sharks, Knights and Cowboys (get tickets here).
The nine regular rounds and semis will take us through to the NRLW Grand Final 2023, which will be played on Sunday, October 1, on the same day as the men’s NRL Grand Final, at Accor Stadium. Tickets for the 2023 NRLW Grand Final are on sale now.
(The two-game Women’s State of Origin 2023 series has already happened, in June – and although each side won a game each, Queensland emerged victorious over NSW with an aggregate score of 32-28.)
How do you get tickets to NRLW Sydney games?
You can grab tickets to NRLW 2023 games over here and the NRLW Grand Final over here.
Where will NRLW games be held in Sydney?
Games will be held at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, Allianz Stadium, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Belmore Sports Ground, Shark Park in Woolooware, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah, Campbelltown Sports Stadium, and the Grand Final will be held at Accor Stadium ahead of the men’s NRL game. There will also be games held near Sydney, in towns including Wollongong and Gosford. You can check out the full NRLW 2023 draw here.
How can you watch the NRLW season on TV?
You can watch every match of the NRLW 2023 season free to air on the Nine Network, as well as on Fox Sports and Kayo. If you miss a game, you can watch it on catch-up via Kayo.
When is the 2023 NRLW Grand Final?
The 2023 NRLW Grand Final will be combined with the men's NRL Grand Final on Sunday, October 1, at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Tickets are on sale now.
Which team should I support in NRLW 2023?
Six of the 10 teams in the NRLW Premiership are from NSW (and another is from down the road in Canberra), so Sydney and NSW people have plenty of options when it comes to who to support:
- If you live in Sydney’s city or east, your obvious choice is the Sydney Roosters
- If you’re in the Inner West or South Western Sydney, get behind the Wests Tigers for their first year in the comp
- If you’re in the West, the Parramatta Eels are likely to be your pick
- If you live in the Shire, you’re in luck, because the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks are now in the comp
- If you’re further south than that, the St George Illawarra Dragons will be your team
- If you’re up the coast or in and around Newcastle, the Knights are your local team
What are the NRLW teams to watch in 2023?
Cronulla Sutherland Sharks: When it comes to new teams to watch, the Sharks have secured some star talent and seasoned pros, including Olympic gold medallist and Jillaroos World Cup winner Emma Tonegato, longtime NRLW and Touch Football star Maddie Studdon, kick-arse halfback Tayla Preston, and former Australian Rugby 7s representative Tiana Penitani – which already stands them in good stead in their first year of the comp.
Newcastle Knights: They won the NRLW 2022 Grand Final, capping off an incredible climb from finishing bottom of the ladder in the previous year. This year they’ve lost three-time Premiership winner Millie Boyle (see below) to the Roosters, but they've still got star fullback Tamika Upton (see below), as well as champion Jillaroo Caitlan Johnston and next-gen superstar Jesse Southwell.
Parramatta Eels: There will be a new-look Eels team in 2023, and a change in captaincy since the departures of co-captains Tiana Penitani to the Sharks and Simaima Taufa to the Raiders – that said, new captains Kennedy Cherrington and Rachael Pearson are well and truly up to leading a side that also includes longtime player and Defence Force member Talesha O’Neill and Rio Olympian Mahalia Murphy, and is coached by former NRL star Dean Widders.
St George Illawarra Dragons: This year they’ll be led by NZ halfback Raecene McGregor, who won the 2022 NRLW Dally M Medal while playing for the Roosters. She’ll be skippering a squad of largely fresh but exciting talent this year, including star centre Bobbi Law who’s moved over from the Knights. And they’ll all be under the wing of coach Jamie Soward.
Sydney Roosters: This team won the delayed 2021 Premiership and then finished the 2022 season as minor premiers (top of the ladder after the round games). As well as superstar recruit Millie Boyle, they’re led by Jillaroo mainstay Isabelle Kelly, have nabbed speedy NRL and Touch razzle-dazzler Tarryn Aiken from the Broncos, and also have former golden boot winner Jessica Sergis and Kiwi Ferns rep Amber Hall in their arsenal.
Wests Tigers: The Tiges are a new entry to the comp this year, but they're lucky enough to have two experienced leaders at the helm: Kezie Apps, one of the most decorated female rugby league players, who’s captained both Australia and NSW; and world-class sportswoman Botille Vette-Welsh, who represented New Zealand in both Touch and athletics before getting her start in the NRLW. The side is a mix of veterans like two and sixth-season player Rikeya Horne, as well as fresh talent.
Who are the NRLW players to watch in 2023?
Tamika Upton, Newcastle Knights
Fullback Tamika Upton developed her footy skills in Touch Football, playing in their NRL Touch Premiership as well as the Australian national teams – she dominated that code due to her footwork and ball skills, but most of all, her speed. She made her NRLW debut in the Broncos, helping them win their fourth successive minor premiership title in 2021, then was picked up by the Knights, where she helped them to their first ever Premiership , winning the Karyn Murphy Medal for player of the match in the Grand Final. Upton made a call to withdraw from the 2022 World Cup due to a calf injury, but after a solid off-season of recovery and training, Upton says she’s the “strongest and fastest” she’s ever been. Look out!
Emma Tonegato, Cronulla Sutherland Sharks
Like many of the NRLW’s biggest stars, fullback Emma Tonegato developed her skills in Touch Football, before transitioning to rugby league and winning a World Cup with the Jillaroos in 2013 at age 18. After being scouted to play Rugby 7s, she helped the national women’s team take Olympic gold in 2016. In 2021, she made a return to league, joining the Dragons in the NRLW competition – and was a major factor in the team’s progression from winless in 2020 to grand finalists in 2021 (hence her joint Dally M Female player of the year win that year). A fast and skillful fullback, it’ll be interesting to see where Tonegato can help take her new team, the Sharks, in their inaugural season in 2023.
Millie Boyle, Sydney Roosters
Prop Millie Boyle has been a spectacular performer in previous NRLW competitions and Women’s Origin clashes. In 2021 she was named joint winner of the Dally M Female player of the year with Tonegato for her efforts with the Broncos, she was a big player in the Knights’ breakthrough Grand Final victory in 2022, and she’ll continue to be one to watch in 2023 when she plays with incumbent minor premiers the Roosters. She is also part of Nine’s broadcast team for the new season.
Raecene McGregor, St George Illawarra Dragons
Winner of the 2022 NRLW Dally M Medal while playing for the Roosters, New Zealand halfback Raecene McGregor is the newly appointed Dragons captain for 2023. She has her work cut out for her, since the Dragons have lost a bunch of high-profile NRLW players this year, including six Jillaroos. But there’s good reason she’s a highly celebrated player – she took every gong from the Golden Boot to the RLPA Players Champion last year – and it’ll be intriguing to watch this star recruit lead a squad of largely fresh talent this year.
Some fun NRLW facts:
7,966 metres: This is how far Hayley Maddick (Broncos winger) ran during one game in 2022. In just 70 minutes of play.
32km/hr: This is how fast Emma Tonegato (mentioned above) can sprint during a game. That’s literally as fast as the roadrunner bird.
246 tackles: This is the total number of tackles Simaima Taufa (played Eels in 2022, now Raiders for 2023) made over just 7 games in NRLW 2022 (that’s an average of 44 tackles per game). She should be avoided at all costs.
A short history of women’s rugby league and the NRLW:
This year, 2023, marks the sixth year of professional women’s Rugby League in Australia. The NRLW Premiership launched in 2018 with just four teams, and has built up to 10 teams from there. Yet the establishment of the competition was a long time coming.
Local comps had been running in parts of Australia since the 1920s. It took until 1995 for the Australian Women's Rugby League to be made official – that’s when the first national side (the Jillaroos) was established. That year, Australia hosted the inaugural series of Test matches (against New Zealand), and the next year we hosted another Test tour (against Great Britain).
During the late ’90s, rep teams started competing in the National Championships, and 1999 saw the introduction of an interstate series between NSW and Queensland (the Nellie Doherty Cup – which rebranded to State of Origin in 2018 alongside the establishment of NRL Women’s).
The year 2000 saw the establishment of the Women's Rugby League World Cup, which Australia’s Jillaroos are reigning champions of after successive wins in 2013, 2017 and 2022. Greater visibility of the women’s game (through state, national and international competitions) led to growth in popularity of the sport, and demand for the establishment of the professionalised and televised NRL Women’s Premiership.
The rise of the NRLW is in turn helping drive rapid growth at a grassroots level. There are now close to 40,000 registered female players playing Club Rugby League across Australia – well over triple the total in 2015 – which means plenty of fresh talent will be coming up through the ranks to ensure that the future of the women’s game looks bright.
To get around NRLW 2023, you can buy tickets to games here, or you can watch every match of the NRLW 2023 season free to air on the Nine Network, as well as Fox Sports and Kayo.