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Opinion
There’s a reason that the motto for the NRL Women’s Premiership is ‘same game, our way’.
It may be the same game, but there are some aspects of the women’s game which are different to the men and sometimes it makes comparisons between the two competitions challenging.
One of those areas is suspension. With such a short NRLW season, it’s hard to strike a balance between punishing illegal behaviour on and off the field appropriately whilst at the same time, ensuring that women are not sidelined for half a season.
Earlier this year, Ashleigh Werner received a two match ban for biting. I must say I was extremely surprised when this week Jack Wighton only received three weeks for the same offence.
For Werner, a two-week ban is close to 25 per cent of her season. For Wighton, a three-week ban is almost insignificant in the context of a competition that goes over 24 weeks.
I recognise we won’t get consistency across the two competitions until the women’s season growths in length, but at the moment, the punishment for the women seems to be bigger than it is for the men.
Here’s your preview of the final regular round of the NRLW.
With no men’s Thursday night footy I am hoping for big television ratings for this game. This game has been switched from Campbelltown due to air-quality concerns after hazard reduction burning.
With a win, the Newcastle Knights can lock up the Minor Premiership for 2023 and I expect them to win comfortably.
The Tigers started the season strong with two wins, but have struggled since. In my view it’s been a combination of injuries, suspensions, the step up to the NRLW and some challenges with game management in key moments.
There are plenty of positives ahead for this team though and it’s been great to see Jakiya Whitfeld have a break out season.
For the Knights, they roll on to the semi-finals with their opposition still to be determined. Tip: Knights by 10
Olivia Kernick is tackled. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
The Roosters can lock up second spot on the ladder with a win over the Cowboys and I am confident that they will get the two points.
The Cowboys have had some wonderful moments this year; Kirra Dibb continues to demonstrate that she is one of the best halves in the competition, Francesca Goldthorp has been a welcome addition from the English Super League and young guns like Tahlulah Tillett have a bright future ahead of them in the NRLW.
With a team like the Cowboys that are based in such a distinct geographical location, it is going to take some time for them to develop their local talent, so consider this team a work in progress.
For the Roosters, they move onto the semi-finals with their opposition still unknown leading into the final regular round. Tip: Roosters by 8
For the Broncos, the equation is pretty clear. Win this game and their spot in the top four is booked. But they face a tough opposition in the Dragons whose finals hopes were dashed last week in their loss to the Sharks.
The Broncos have, in my view, been the team that has grown the most into the competition. With new players like Gayle Broughton and Mele Hufunga, it took some time for the combinations to come together, but in recent weeks the Broncos have proved how quickly they can score points.
The Dragons have had a mixed season and have exceeded most people’s expectations with the number of players they lost to other clubs. Tegan Berry has gone from strength to strength and will no doubt score at least one try in this game to finish off her season. Tip: Broncos by 6
It’s been a rough old season for the Parramatta Eels. Between the number of players lost to other teams, injury and suspension the Eels have not found their rhythm in 2023.
The same can almost be said for the Sharks who had a lot of hype around them pre-season. Their win against the Dragons was their best performance of the season, but unfortunately it came too late.
For both teams there will be a lot to learn from this season and for the Eels they have uncovered some players which will benefit from their experience in the NRLW like Kimmy Hunt.
I’m predicting the Sharks will win this game as they have a bit more attacking flair but expect some fireworks in this one given how many Sharks women played for the Eels in prior seasons like Tiana Penitani, Ellie Johnstone, Brooke Anderson, Maddie Studdon and Tayla Preston. Tip: Sharks by 4
How exciting that we will unlikely know the make-up of the top four until the conclusion of this game.
For the Titans, a win is all they need to secure a finals spot. The Raiders are depending on results to go their way and will also need a win in this game.
The Raiders have been the most impressive out of all the expansion teams and I loved their team composition from the start; a great combination of established players, internationals and up and coming players.
The Titans have also been impressive this year, particularly through the experience of Lauren Brown, whose calm, cool and collected kicking game has helped the Titans have on multiple occasions this year.
I’m going to pick the Raiders in this one as I’m hoping a ruckus Canberra Raiders crowd gets them home. Despite the win though, I think they might just miss out on that top four spot. Tip: Raiders by 2