Jamie Soward given keys to female pathway role for Dragons with new two-year contract
St George Illawarra have created a new full-time gig for 2010 premiership winner Jamie Soward which will help revolutionise the Dragons female pathways.
NRLW
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St George Illawarra coach Jamie Soward has signed a two-year extension with the club in a role that he hopes will help inspire the next generation of NRLW stars.
The Dragons premiership winner will coach the NRLW team for the next two seasons, but a new full-time role has been created for him to oversee the female pathways at the club entirely.
Final details of the job description were being finalised on Monday but his signature provides the club stability in both the men’s and women’s programs for the next few years with Shane Flanagan on board from 2024 with the NRL side.
“I’m so passionate about the women’s game,” Soward said.
“We’ve got a huge nursery from Kogarah down to the South Coast.”
The role will allow him to coach the NRLW side for most of the year, while also travelling around the catchment area and communicating with the junior reps teams to assess and co-ordinate the programs and talent.
The majority of the Dragons NRLW side have signed one-year deals, and Soward’s appointment will now allow players to make decisions on their long-term employment with the club.
It will also allow Soward to recruit with the future in mind.
This year he has a young and inexperienced squad who have won one game from the first four rounds.
But by managing the pathways he hopes local talent will fill the NRLW side naturally in the coming years.
“The free agency thing (in the NRLW) will never happen again,” he said.
“It’s now about creating a local nursery for girls who are 14, 15 and 16 to be able to come through and want to be a Dragon, which is the main goal, to have girls who want to play for the Dragons.
“The next crop of girls coming through are really special and we want to inspire them and have those programs humming.
“I can be hands on with it and be able to provide feedback to the districts, but also learn what goes into it.”
He says his experience as an NRL player across 215 games helps him relate to the players.
“I want to educate,” he said.
“Some of these girls uproot their whole lives to come here and play, we’ve got to be there to support them.”
NRLW Tackle: Bizarre referee call duds Dragons
Teagan Berry was on fire for the Dragons on Saturday afternoon and almost orchestrated a come from behind win against Canberra.
Raiders star Zahara Temera nailed a field goal to win 19-18 in golden point, but the game shouldn’t have needed extra time to be decided.
Midway through the second half Berry was denied a try for a double movement with the Dragons down 18-6, but it was a try every day of the week.
Berry did all the good work through a wall of green to wrestle out of the defence, stretch her arm out and score, but referee Kasey Badger denied her on the spot to the shock of viewers.
Badger claimed on the field she had called held, but there was still movement in the tackle.
It was a bizarre moment that ultimately cost the Dragons, who scored another two tries to send the game to extra time, only to lose in the 73rd minute.
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STRANGE DAY
Sydney Roosters coach John Strange missed Sunday’s 36-12 victory over Cronulla to attend his son Ethan’s NRL debut for Canberra in Melbourne.
It was a gamble that paid off for Strange.
A loss would have raised questions over whether it was the right call.
However, NSW Origin coach and Roosters assistant Kylie Hilder was on the ground for the big win at PointsBet Stadium.
The experienced Hilder was on the sidelines, getting messages fed to her from Strange who was watching via Zoom in Melbourne.
It was a difficult situation for Strange and he agonised over the decision, but he was given the blessing of club bosses and players to coach the game remotely to be there for his teenage son.
Ethan Strange received a surprise today when his parents arrived in Canberra to present him with his debut jersey.#WeAreRaiderspic.twitter.com/kD3IgxDwfi
— Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) August 11, 2023
“Strangey is really important to us and he had the backing of all of us straight away,” said Roosters skipper Isabelle Kelly.
“The number one thing we wanted to do was go out there and get that win for him and show him how much he means to us as a team.
“Our first half wasn’t the greatest and we didn’t complete, but I think we showcased what we can do when we have the footy in our hands.”
The 24-point win marks the second win in a row for the Roosters who were title favourites before the season began.
It caps off a huge day for the Strange family, with daughter Jasmin playing for the Knights’ NRLW side on Sunday afternoon too.
WOMEN’S SPORT ON THE RISE
There was a special feeling around Sunday’s NRLW games in the shadow of the Women’s World Cup.
The Matildas are changing women’s sport in Australia forever and that includes for rugby league.
Crowds are getting better, coverage is increasing and ratings are solid for the NRLW, but there’s still a long way to go.
The success the Matildas are having and the way they’ve captivated the nation gives so much hope to female athletes and fans of women’s sport everywhere because it shows that anything is possible.
Invest in women and it will pay off.
TAUFA THE WEAPON
She was the first signing down at the Raiders and it’s clear why.
Yet again Simaima Taufa put in a shift at lock for the Green Machine – 194 running metres, three tackle-breaks, a line-break, a try and 26 tackles against the Dragons. No misses.
QUEENS OF QUEENSLAND TOPPLED
Gold Coast have cruised through the first three rounds undefeated but on Sunday NRLW premiers Newcastle handed them their first loss of the year.
It’s the shake up the competition needed, and it’s created a four-way tussle at the top of the ladder with the Titans, Knights, Roosters and Raiders all on three wins to start the season heading into round five.
It sets up a ripper game on Saturday between the Roosters and Titans on the Gold Coast and affirms the spread of talent across the game.
BRIGGINSHAW STILL THE ONE
The Broncos busted open the competition with a big win against the Cowboys last week, but they were impressive in their toughness against Parramatta on Saturday night.
Going down to 11 players in the second half, and without Gayle Broughton in the halves, the Broncos didn’t lose their cool and the clear direction of Ali Brigginshaw was again their North Star.
She kicked three goals, ran for 107 metres, as well as three tackle-breaks and two line-breaks.
Anyone who is waiting for her to slow down as she gets older will have to wait a lot longer. She’s as influential as she has ever been.
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CARNAGE AT THE EELS
The Eels are in a world of hurt at the moment on the bottom of the ladder.
Without a win from their first four games, they keep taking hits to their playing squad.
Representative prop Elsie Albert reaggravated a calf injury that has kept her out of the start of the season in Saturday’s 22-12 loss to Brisbane.
The severity is unknown, but soft tissue injuries are notoriously temperamental.
Losing Albert again would be a big blow for the Eels with skipper Kennedy Cherrington also suspended for the next three weeks.
Fullback Abbi Church copped a battering to the face too but bravely soldiered on with a bleeding nose in the club’s fourth loss in a row.
They have another tough road trip this week, playing Canberra in Canberra on Sunday.
SIN BIN SPREE
In 15 games last season there were just three sin bins.
There were three just this week.
Shanice Parker was binned in the Knights’ win over the Titans on Sunday arvo, while the Broncos went down to 11 against the Eels with Brianna Clark and Jasmine Fogavini sent to the sheds.
It’s just way too many.
Already in 2023 we’ve seen eight sin bins and two send offs in the NRLW, and more are expected as the game evolves.
Last week NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley explained that it’s an expected growing pain – a side effect of the strength and speed of the game increasing, leading to accidents, and match awareness leading to more professional fouls.
NEWBIES IN TROUBLE
The Sharks scored a win against Canberra in round one but their second half fade outs have been a big struggle over the past three weeks.
They led 12-0 against the Roosters on Sunday but let in 36 unanswered points for their third loss in a row. It’s an alarming trend for a squad with few injuries. Fullback Jada Taylor, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury, is a chance to play against the Cowboys on Saturday.
The Tigers too have gone down swinging in their past two games after going undefeated through the first two rounds. They face the Dragons, who are also desperate for a win.
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