NRLW 2021: Gold Coast ready to go head-to-head with Brisbane in battle for NRLW supremacy

The Broncos have dominated every single NRLW season - but here’s why the Titans, one of the league’s expansion clubs, are ready to hit them head-on.

After three years of domination, Brisbane could be in for an NRLW reckoning with Gold Coast ready to charge headlong into the battle for Queensland supremacy.

The Broncos have won all three NRLW premierships, losing just one match since the competition began in 2018, but the Titans have assembled a dynamic roster for their first year and the Queensland derby promises to be a highlight of the 2021 season.

On the back of proven Maroon talent such as former Dally M winner Brittany Breayley-Nati and Maroons star Destiny Brill, the Titans will also boast a strong Kiwi contingent, led by Silver Ferns vice-captain Georgia Hale and clever halfback Karli Hansen.

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Hale and Hansen might be recent arrivals on the Glitter Strip, but they are already embracing the chance to take on the might of the Broncos.

“I’ve been here all of nine months and I can already feel the fuel and the fire. I’m so excited to be a part of it,” Hale said.

Titans stars Georgia Hale and Karli Hansen can’t wait to take on the Broncos. Picture: Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

“The Broncos have a great rep and they’ve made their mark on the competition but it’s a clash we’re really looking forward to. You have to beat the best to be the best.

“The footy is phenomenal here, from the ground up.

“Having landed at the Gold Coast and getting a feel for the area, once they announced there was going to be a Titans team it was definitely a club I wanted to play for.”

Hale relocated to Queensland from New Zealand at the conclusion of the 2020 NRLW season but Hansen’s arrival is far more recent.

Hansen had to leave her family and job at a pawnbrokers behind in order to cross the ditch and chase her dream.

“I don’t mind the transition, it’s been really smooth and of course I miss my family but they’re really proud and just want me to make the most of my opportunity with the Titans.

The Broncos are the benchmark team in the NRLW, having lost just one match since the competition began in 2018. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“The girls mindset about training is really motivating. All they want to do is get up, train in the morning, go to work, train in the afternoon, eat well, sleep well and hydrate.

“It’s so different to back home which is really inspiring, seeing a different kind of rugby league world. I can definitely feel the difference, I’m a lot fitter especially after working in this hot weather.

“Playing against the likes of Ali Brigginshaw and Millie Boyle and the rest of the Broncos, it’s going to be wicked.

“I used to watch them on TV, now I’m here about to play against them. I was starstruck the first few days of training but I kept it on the down low, nobody knew about it.

“I’m just a Kiwi girl who flew here one day and now I’m playing with girls like that, it’s crazy.”

HOW EELS WON OVER RISING STAR

Kennedy Cherrington cried plenty of tears when leaving the Roosters, but the chance to build a new powerhouse at Parramatta and represent western Sydney was too tantalising to pass up.

The NRLW’s expansion will give the competition a proper footprint in western Sydney for the first time, and with Cherrington, Tiana Penitani, Simaima Taufa and Botille Vette-Welsh leading the charge, the Eels are set to become an instant powerhouse.

Cherrington claimed rookie of the year honours last season with the Tricolours but jumped at the chance to link up with Parramatta for their maiden campaign.

“Some tears were shed, they’d been such a great club for me and they’re the club that kicked off everything for me. That loyalty side is important to me, but Parramatta is where I needed to be this season,” Cherrington said.

New Eels recruits Kennedy Cherrington and Tiana Penitani.

“Being western Sydney born myself, I thought this would be a great opportunity to represent the west. I can’t wait.

“Having a team there helps the area get validated. Some kids out there don’t understand the talent they hold and the opportunities they have.

“Reminding those young boys and girls that western Sydney backs them, that you don’t have to move to somewhere else in Sydney, or to another state, to get a chance.”

Parramatta’s preparation for the season, which will now be held in October after the men’s grand final, has hit a snag with Covid, but is still going ahead.

Players are yet to meet for a proper pre-season or training sessions but are corresponding regularly with coach Dean Widders and the club’s performance staff.

“We’ve been given the go ahead to train from the 30th, lockdown permitting. I’m hoping it comes through, we’re dying to kick things off,” Cherrington said.

“When something gets away from you that you take for granted, like training with the team, you realise how important it is.

Cherrington has been training alongside Blues halfback Maddie Studdon, who is expected to link up with the Eels.

Tiana Penitani has made the move from the Dragons.

With Fijian halfback Sereana Naitokatoka also joining the ranks, Parramatta look a decent shot of ending Brisbane’s title stranglehold.

But the future is just as exciting for the Eels - with the NSWRL announcing a 20 per cent rise in female participation over the past two years, the pathways towards the elite level are becoming stronger and more defined than ever before.

“The women’s game is so exciting to be a part of because of how quickly it’s growing. In years to come, hopefully, the women’s game keeps progressing the way it is and it becomes something really big and really special. To be able to look back and think you played a part, it’s really exciting for me,” said Penitani.

“The female players are always thinking about future generations and how to leave the game in a better place than we found it.

“There’s a clear pathway that we never had as kids.

“It’s so exciting to see and to have this young talent coming through and push us for our spots, it’s what keeps the game competitive and keeps it growing and makes it a better product.”

Originally published as NRLW 2021: Gold Coast ready to go head-to-head with Brisbane in battle for NRLW supremacy