NRLW 2021: Eels, Knights, Titans join expanded competition, Parramatta to target players from rival codes

The Broncos have won all three NRLW premierships to date but newcomers the Eels suddenly loom as a genuine title rival.

Parramatta CEO Jim Sarantinos has vowed to return some of Australia’s best female rugby league players “to their own backyards” as part of an audacious bid to finally bring down NRLW heavyweights, Brisbane Broncos.

On Friday, it was announced the Eels will become one of three new franchises – along with Newcastle and Gold Coast – joining an expanded women’s competition for the 2021 season.

Apart from the trio of new clubs, Brisbane, the Roosters and St George Illawarra will also field sides in the seven-week competition, which kicks off in Round 23.

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While the Warriors will drop out this year, due largely to travel issues created by the Covid-19 pandemic, they will return in 2022 when the competition expands to eight teams.

While the Broncos have won all three NRLW premierships, the Eels suddenly loom as a genuine title rival given they now have all of western Sydney as a talent pool.

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While contract stipulations were not revealed at an NRLW press conference on Friday, there have already been discussions around the NRL signing 24 players who will be spread evenly across all six clubs.

Each franchise will then be expected to sign up the rest of its squad, with payments for all players likely to be capped at $16,500.

However, clubs also have a host of other ways to entice the country’s greatest players to their roster, with pitches currently involving the choice of head coach, jobs in the club football department and elite female training facilities at respective training facilities.

Parramatta, for example, is set to provide a whole range of NRLW-specific facilities at its new Centre of Excellence, which is currently under construction in Kellyville.

Even while the facilities are being finalised, Eels officials have struck a deal with the NSWRL which will allow its 2021 women’s side to train out of the Blues $30 million Centre of Excellence at Homebush.

Elsewhere, new head coach Dean Widders is also looking to recruit several NRLW stars who currently reside in Sydney’s west but commute to either the Roosters or Dragons for training.

The Eels have also signed new manager Andy Patmore, who has strong ties with the competition’s best players thanks to his previous role as coach of the women’s NSW Origin side.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo launched the 2021 NRLW season on Friday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Sarantinos also confirmed the club would look at scouting athletes from a host of rival codes including rugby, AFL and soccer after Olympic Rugby Sevens star Charlotte Caslick, who competes at the Tokyo Games in July, enjoyed a stint with the Roosters in 2020.

He added that while contracts were capped at less than $20,000, the club had discussed a range of recruiting ideas which included having female players potentially join the Eels in a Community & Development role.

“And we’re definitely open to that,” Sarantinos said. “I know there are some clubs have done a great job with having female players in community initiatives and acting as ambassadors so it’s something we’ll definitely look at.”

Asked about trying to lure players from outside the code, he continued: “We want to assemble the most competitive team possible.

“So we’ll look at all avenues in terms of recruiting players.

“We know there are women out there who can play across multiple sports (at the elite level) and, while we’ve only got a short contracting window to assemble our team, our guys will be looking at every possible avenue to get the best side.”

NRLW players Corban McGregor and Keeley Davis can’t wait for the new season to kick off. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The Eels boss said the club was also excited about tapping into the large number of women playing rugby league in Sydney’s west – including those already in the NRLW.

“There are a lot of players in the NRLW already that are based out of western Sydney,” he said. “So there is a great opportunity for us to give those girls an opportunity to play in their backyard, for a club in their backyard.

“We’ve also got two guys in Dean and Andy who not only have great knowledge about the women’s game, but are well-connected within the women’s game.”

So as for creating a team to bring down the Broncos?

“We’ll be doing our very best,” he said. “Obviously they’ve won three competitions but I’m confident that having so much talent in western Sydney, we have a club these players can connect with.

“And that will play a large part in us being really competitive.

“This is also a really exciting opportunity for our club. We want women to play as big a role in the future of the Parramatta Eels as men.”

Originally published as NRLW 2021: Eels, Knights, Titans join expanded competition, Parramatta to target players from rival codes