By Billie Eder
Corban Baxter has had stints on the sideline before, but none as challenging as when she did her ACL in pre-season last year.
Fresh from an Origin appearance for NSW and heading into the 2024 NRLW season, Baxter went down in a trial match with an injury that would rule her out for the season.
Corban Baxter (centre) during the Roosters’ 2025 team photo.
“I was pretty devastated. I think when I did it, I knew it was painful, but I didn’t think ACL straight away. But I think soon after when I spoke to the docs and the reality hit that I had most likely done that, I was pretty devastated,” Baxter said.
Add being a mother to the stress of an injury, and Baxter was left wondering how she would juggle a leg injury with looking after her kids.
“Being a mum that is also in my mind, how am I going to get through the day-to-day stuff being injured with two kids running around,” she said. “Definitely the footy side is stressful and devastating but just getting through my daily activities was something I had to think about.”
Baxter had the support she needed – her husband, who’s a teacher, was on school holidays at the time of her injury, and the whole family rallied to help until she was off crutches.
Roosters coach John Strange put out a Hail Mary to retired fullback Sam Bremner and brought her back into the squad to replace his star No.1, with Bremner going on to lift the 2024 premiership trophy with the Tricolours – her first and only NRLW premiership.
While the ACL is the most significant injury of her career, Baxter said the time off to have her son the year before proved she could get back in the game after an extended stint on the sidelines.
“This is definitely my most major injury. I’ve had a shoulder surgery early in the NRLW days and then pregnancy, which isn’t an injury, but definitely something that I had to work on getting back into shape and form, so I knew that I was capable,” she said.
“In saying that, I think this injury has been the most challenging for me. I had to have a lot of patience ... Over the last four years I’ve had a bit of time off footy, and I’ve enjoyed that time definitely with being able to do other things off field, and being able to spend some quality time with my family, but have kept working hard.
“They get a bit dark and lonely sometimes, but the fact that I’ve been able to come through the pregnancy and return, and this weekend after the ACL injury, it sort of just builds that confidence up and makes me realise I can come back stronger as well.”
Keeley Davis and Corban Baxter with the 2024 NRLW premiership trophy.Credit: NRL Images
Baxter will finally make her NRLW return against the Warriors this Sunday in the halves alongside Jocelyn Kelleher, with playmaker Tarryn Aiken sidelined with a shoulder injury.
It’s been mostly smooth sailing for Baxter since surgery, but early in the pre-season she did have to go back in to have her knee cleaned out.
“It’s a pretty quick turnaround so I’m heaps better for it [the clean out] – I was a bit worried – it’s better for it now, and it’s been feeling really good, especially the last month it’s come a long way,” Baxter said.
“I’m so keen [for Sunday]. It’s been a long time obviously having the full season off, and I just missed being around the girls.
“Sometimes getting to that older age I think, is it time to retire? But then I get back into a pre-season and realise that I’ve got a bit more in me and I really do love playing footy.”
NRLW in consolidation period but expansion not off the cards in 2026
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has emphasised the need for “sustainable growth” in the women’s game as the newly expanded NRLW competition starts this week.
The entrance of the Bulldogs and Warriors in 2025 has taken the total number of teams in the competition to 12, but while Abdo said it was crucial to consolidate the current pool of players, he didn’t rule out expansion in 2026.
All 12 NRLW captains were present at the season launch on Monday.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“I think it’s important to make sure that you’re investing in grassroots and in talent development, and you’re opening up age group competitions so that everyone can play the game, and then you’re thinking about how you can harness talent from multiple ways,” Abdo said.
“New markets are really important for us. I’ve spoken about New Zealand, but ultimately thinking about how we can lure talent from other markets is also to the front of mind, but ultimately, it’s making sure that our core nurseries are producing talent, and as long as that continues to grow we’ll be in a situation where eventually all the clubs will have both a men’s and women’s team.”
The NRLW’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) allows the NRL to expand to a maximum of 12 teams in the current cycle (2023-2027), however, Abdo said the NRL could re-negotiate those terms with the players if they saw room for growth.
Channel Nine’s Danika Mason and Cronulla captain Tiana Penitani Gray at the season launch.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“We’ve done a collective bargaining agreement that contemplated growing from 10 to 12 teams in the current set-up of the salary cap,” Abdo said.
“It doesn’t preclude us from growing beyond that, but it obviously requires a renegotiation, and we’re at a point now where we really want to focus on making sure this season is successful and then again we’ll review and have a look at what the road map looks like over the next couple of years.”
The NRL doesn’t have a set timeline on when and how it plans to grow the NRLW, but Abdo said clubs and players were involved in discussions about how expansion would work.
“It’s a key strategic question. It’s one we’re working on together with everyone in the systems, so, the clubs, the player’s association – the Commission is really focused on growing the women’s game but that game doesn’t necessarily mean just more teams,” Abdo said.
“It’s making sure that we have an increased pipeline of talent, and it’s also the type of competition that we run and the length of that competition.”
Rather than asking clubs for an expression of interest, which is what the governing body has done in the past, Abdo said the NRL were creating a “bespoke” strategy for each club.
“We’re in dialogue with all the clubs that don’t currently have a license around a number of factors – they’re investment into pathways across grassroots football in their geographical areas, high-performance facilities, centres of excellence and their plans and their strategies and stadiums as well,” Abdo said.
“We’re all aligned around having that vision of ultimately having each team housing both a men’s and women’s team, and we’re in dialogue with each club on a bespoke strategy for that.”