NSW Women’s Premiership: Helensburgh Tiger Lillies future uncertain

A grassroots women’s footy team which has produced a number of Jillaroos and Origin stars is in a “state of flux”, with the club looking for help to ensure its long-term future.

Ruan Sims. Kezie Apps. Maddie Studdon. Sam Bremner. Corban Baxter. Jess Sergis. Alanna Ferguson.

These are just some of the pioneers of women’s rugby league who have donned the white, orange and black Tiger Lillies jersey for the trailblazing team based north of Wollongong.

But now, the grassroots club’s future in the women’s game is uncertain.

After a successful decade competing in the Illawarra women’s competition the team made the jump to the semi-professional Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership this year, disappointing no one with a top-four finish in the abandoned season.

Helensburgh Tiger Lillies players Kezie Apps and Jess Sergis in action in 2020. Picture: April Boughton

However, the club’s success has come at a cost with a number of the team’s high profile players leaving to join high-powered rugby league programs, with Jess Sergis, Kezie Apps and coach Ryan Powell joining Wests Tigers and Sam Bremner heading to the Cronulla Sharks.

Helensburgh Tigers president Dorian ‘Dodge’ Cobb said the club, by virtue of its success, had proudly become a pathway for women’s football in the region but now needed support.

“What we’ve been fighting for is a system or a program in the Illawarra region to facilitate that 12-year-old who aspires to play for the NRLW,” he said.

Jillaroos Ruan Sims and Sam Bremner have both taken the field for the Tiger Lillies. Picture Brett Costello

“It needs to be a system that’s fully resourced with high performance, physio, rehab, all that sort of stuff.

“I personally think it needs to be a system under a rugby league organisation like the Dragons or the Steelers, with pathways through the Tarsha Gale competition.”

The club says it has begun discussions with NSW Rugby League, Illawarra Steelers and St George Illawarra Dragons to find support for the women’s program.

As it currently stands, in light of the departures and time before next year’s season kick off, the future of a Tiger Lillies team in either the Women’s Premiership or Illawarra competition is uncertain with current player Georgie Brooker “pounding the pavement” to recruit players.

Cobb said he held no hard feelings about the departures but change was needed for the club to participate in the NSW Women’s Premiership long term.

“If you are a young, up-and-coming talented woman playing rugby league in the Illawarra and someone’s offering you three times what Helensburgh can offer, and you can play in a system backed by an NRL club, what are you going to do?” he said.

A NSWRL spokesman said the sporting body administers the competition and would have “no direct role” in helping the Tiger Lillies field a team in the Women’s Premiership.

“This is done to preserve the integrity of the competition,” he said. “The NSWRL works with all our regions and all our clubs to provide sustainable pathways for all our players.

“The NSWRL has not received any specific requests for support from the Illawarra, or from St George Illawarra, regarding women’s pathways in the region.”

The spokesman pointed out NSWRL’s positive investment into women’s rugby league has led to the number of female players growing from 6700 in 2015 to more than 23,000 this year.