Gold Coast Titans NRL Hub: Karyn Murphy has launched the club’s NRLW junior Academy amind drawn out CBA negotiations

As the NRLW expands and faces a signing freezy once drawn out pay battles have ended, the Titans have sought to cement their future with a historic move. FIND OUT MORE HERE >>

“It’s really important we have this right.”

Gold Coast Titans NRLW coach Karyn Murphy has set about cementing the outfit’s identity as a force of locally bred talent upon announcing the berth of the NRLW Academy.

As the elite women’s competition expands to 10 sides in 2023, poaching and recruitment raids are set to be at a premium as is often the case in the NRL.

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Murphy’s hopes are that by providing a genuine pathway for Glitter Strip products to compliment the Future Titans, the squad under her tutelage will have a sustained presence of players from the region.

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Girls in the under-17s and under-19s will be brought into the fold as part of the Academy, with the two groups of 24 players identified as the next generation to don the sky blue jumper.

In the aftermath of regular training camps, the players will take part in contests with their counterparts at the Newcastle Knights.

Chantay Kiria-Ratu is a graduate of the Future Titans program. Picture: Tertius Pickard

“We really want them and their families to be a part of the Gold Coast Titans and make it a genuine pathway they can come through,” Murphy said.

“Like other players who have come through in the past, we want them to play for us in the NRLW.

“It’s so important to have this right; the pathways. I really am passionate like so many others to make sure we can keep our girls local.”

"Especially with the expansion of the competition we want to make sure we keep them. With the way it works you will lose a few players, but we want to keep them here local and part of the Titans.”

Murphy’s long-term vision for the Titans may be on track, however the immediate future is still clouded as negotiations over the game’s Collective Bargaining Agreement continue to be stretched out.

Debate has raged between the Rugby League Players Association and Australian Rugby League Commission over what the salary cap will look like in 2023 and beyond.

It has put a hold on teams and athletes being able to ink contracts, presenting issues for the way in which the NRLW’s players can prepare their lives on and off the field.

Karyn Murphy.

As reported by NewsCorp last month, the ARLC’s proposed $1.32bn deal included a women’s salary cap rise from $350,000 per team to $800,000.

At the time, RLPA boss Clint Newton pushed back on the deal, with one reason being a desire for a retirement fund to be put in place.

It has left players in the women’s space uncertain over what their future holds, with many still required to work outside of football in order to make up a full-time salary.

Given four new teams — the North Queensland Cowboys, Wests Tigers, Cronulla Sharks and Canberra Raiders — will enter the mix, a feeding frenzy to acquire the game’s best talents will likely ensue.

Murphy expressed her hope that an agreement would be reached soon so that rugby league’s women could set about locking in their arrangements on and off the field come 2023.

“It’s still a huge commitment; a lot of our girls they're mothers and they have jobs and even last year they were getting up at four in the morning doing a shift and then coming to us until late at night,” Murphy said.

“It’s a huge ask, and next year … with the 10 teams and the pre-season it’s anything up to five months we're going to have them.

“We really want to work hard on and off the field to make sure they’re happy and OK off the field.

“We’re waiting to be given the start to start talking to the girls properly and being able to contract them.

“Everyone wants it done now, it’s a big chunk of next year so they need to start planning if they are moving and importantly to make sure we’re keeping as many here as we can.”