Well, we’re here, folks. NRLW season is upon us and the first game kicks off today. Plenty of new faces, familiar faces, and an infinite number of chances to players to showcase their talents.
Can the Newcastle Knights make it three-in-a-row or is there a new champion on the horizon? Time will tell but every game will be a cracker.
Without further adieu, here are our tips on who will take out the spoils in Rd 1.
Newcastle Knights v Sydney Roosters @ McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle. Thursday, July 25. Kick-off: 7:45 pm.
Ricky’s View: A blockbuster kicks us off for the 2025 season and the two biggest talking points are perhaps whether the Knights can make it three straight NRLW premierships and the surprise decision to play Isabelle Kelly at fullback.
Both teams are littered with premium talent and if the conditions are good, the best will have every chance to showcase their talents.
The match will be won through the middle with a mouth-watering battle of Caitlan Johnston v Millie Boyle one to watch.
We could have a grand final preview on our hands but I like the Roosters. Just. Kelly to be player of the match.
Cronulla Sharks v North Queensland Cowboys @ Pointsbet Stadium, Sydney. Saturday, July 27. Kick-off: 11:05 am.
Ricky’s View: The only previous time these two sides clashed was a big win for the Sharks but the expectations for this one will be even higher.
The Sharks would be disappointed to have missed out on the finals last season and they do have a team that can win games but can they be consistent enough? It was their Achilles heel last year, can they nurture the wound in 2024?
For the Cowboys, new coach Ricky Henry as everyone excited but ask us and who do we want to see? That’s Jakiya Whitfield.
Whitfield is a future star and just the player the Cowboys needed but she cannot do it on her own.
We like the direction of the Cowboys but can see the Sharks taking this out by 12.
Brisbane Broncos v Parramatta Eels @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Saturday, July 27. Kick-off: 12:45 pm.
Ricky’s View: This one may honestly be the toughest game to pick of the round, if only because the Eels have gotten marginally better in that they have a full quota of spine players at their disposal.
Also because the Broncos, as good as they are, have undergone some reshuffling and changes over the course of the last two months.
The Broncos do have the rub of the green over the Eels in NRLW but if the Eels trial match was anything to go by, new coach Steve Georgallis has them believing in miracles.
Both sides boast quickness at the back, smarts in the halves and big, mobile forwards.
Take the Eels by 2.
St George Illawarra Dragons v Gold Coast Titans @ WIN Stadium, Wollongong. Sunday, July 28. Kick-off: 12pm
Ricky’s View: Teagan Berry and Jaime Chapman, two of the best in the modern game, two of the quickest in the game and boy, do we hope to see them in open space, blitzing defences.
Neither is a stranger to scoring a long-range try and it may take a moment of magic like that to split the two sides.
The Titans willed themselves to a grand final last year and will want to do it again and with a similar roster, it is possible, but other teams around them have gotten better.
The Dragons first step should be to make the finals and they will rely heavily on the halves pairing of Tyla Nathan-Wong and Raecene McGregor.
This should be another great contest and we’re going with the Titans by 8.
Wests Tigers v Canberra Raiders @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium. Sunday, July 28. Kick-off: 1:45 pm.
Ricky’s View: Some new faces to both sides but also experienced campaigners to guide them as this looms as a very interesting and tense contest.
Of all the new teams in 2023, the Raiders had the best form and mojo, even if they just missed out on the finals and you can expect that Darren Borthwick will have loftier expectations of his side.
So, too, will Tigers coach Brett Kimmorley, as they hope their veteran players can lead from the front. Covering Whitfield’s loss will not be easy but you always need contingency plans in rugby league.
This might well be the most physical affair of the round. We have the Raiders opening their account with a win by 10.