NRL NSW Schoolgirl Cup: Hills Sports High School v Hunter Sports High School

While some may shy away from the pain of grand final heartbreak, Hills SHS is embracing it ahead of its opening Schoolgirl Cup clash against Hunter SHS. Watch it LIVE.

NSW Schoolgirl Cup heavyweights Hills Sports High have one eye trained on the end of the season as the school prepares to open its 2025 campaign against Hunter Sports High.

The opening round clash between the two sides will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV on Thursday, June 5.

After two years of heartache in the national championship final, Hills Sports High coach Patricia Raikadroka has welcomed the pain simmering below the surface of her side.

While the Hills team lost a massive 11 players from its top squad at the end of last year, there are a number of senior players who will be determined to avenge their thrashing at the hands of Ipswich State High.

Raikadroka has introduced an increased physicality to her training sessions in an effort to match their rivals across the border, something that she believes will give them an edge over other sides in the southern conference.

Hills Sports High coach Patricia Raikadroka, pictured here playing for the Women’s Prime Minister’s XIII, is making no secrets of her side’s goals for this NSW Schoolgirls Cup season. Picture: Nathan Hopkins/NRL Photos

“The girls definitely do have a hang up from last year’s national final,” Raikadroka said.

“It is lovely winning two state titles and making two national finals, but it is also hard to not come away with something from those finals.

“They speak about it often, that is the main goal. We want to go to the national final a third time, but we have to make sure we get there.

“I think mentally for the girls it is understanding what they need to do each game, lifting them up and getting them ready. We need to think big, but not too big.”

Hills will be relying heavily on a young crop of talent making their start in the senior grades when they kick off their NSW title defence against Hunter Sports High on Friday, June 6.

The Hunter Sports High side is expected to pose a challenge to the top sides in the southern conference as it makes its return to the Cup this season.

Raikadroka suggested the two sides would be well-matched on the field, with both relying on a mobile and fast-moving forward pack to win the battle in the middle.