| NRL Telstra Women's Premiership | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 weeks (9 rounds; SF, GF) 22 July - 1 October |
| Teams | 10 |
| Minor premiers | |
| Matches played | 48 |
| Broadcast partners | Nine Network Fox League Sky Sport (NZ) Sky Sports (UK) |
| Champions | |
| Dally M Award | |
| Top point-scorer(s) | |
| Top try-scorer(s) | |
The 2023 NRLW Premiership was the sixth professional season of Women's rugby league in Australia. As announced in March 2022 by the governing body, the National Rugby League, the number of teams increased from six to ten. [1] [2]
The duration of the season was confirmed by the NRL in a media release on 14 February 2023 as nine rounds followed by semi-finals and a Grand Final. [3]
Contracted players were paid for a seven-week preparation period prior to the commencement of the competition, plus two weeks leave, for a total of 20 weeks. The contract period for players was, however, twelve months. [3] [4] The announcement also confirmed a rise in the salary cap from $350,000 in 2022 to $900,000 in 2023. [3] [5]
The line-up of teams increased from six to ten. [6] Two of the new clubs announced in October 2022 the appointment of their NRLW coach for the 2023 season.
| Club | Season | Head coach | Captain(s) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 6th season | Scott Prince | Ali Brigginshaw (10) | [7] [8] |
| | 1st season | Darrin Borthwick | Simaima Taufa (9) and Zahara Temara (9) | [9] [10] [11] |
| | 1st season | Tony Herman | Tiana Penitani (9) | [12] [13] |
| | 3rd season | Karyn Murphy | Georgia Hale (11) | [14] [15] |
| | 3rd season | Ronald Griffiths | Hannah Southwell (8) and Tamika Upton (11) | [14] |
| | 1st season | Ben Jeffries | Kirra Dibb (9) and Tallisha Harden (9) | [14] [16] |
| | 3rd season | Dean Widders | Kennedy Cherrington (9) and Rachael Pearson (6) | [17] |
| | 6th season | Jamie Soward | Raecene McGregor (9) | [18] [19] |
| | 6th season | John Strange | Isabelle Kelly (10) | [14] |
| | 1st season | Brett Kimmorley | Kezie Apps (7) and Botille Vette-Welsh (7) also Christian Pio (1: Round 9) | [20] [21] |
Notes
The season saw the ten teams play each other once across nine rounds, followed by a two-week final series that involved the top four teams. They played semi-finals with the winners meeting in the Grand Final. [3]
Scheduling of the season allowed for:
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 30-6 | | Saturday 1 July | Pizzey Park | ||||
| | 18-14 | | Friday 7 July 7:00 PM | Eric Tweedale Stadium, Granville [25] | Billy Greatbatch | |||
| | 22-0 | | Saturday 8 July | PointsBet Stadium [26] | Adam Sirriani | |||
| | 4-18 | | Saturday 8 July 3:00 PM | Maitland No.1 Sportsground [27] | Louis Matheson | |||
| 2023 NRLW season | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
| 1 | | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 224 | 119 | +105 | 16 | |
| 2 | | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 284 | 120 | +164 | 14 | |
| 3 | | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 164 | 126 | +38 | 14 | |
| 4 | | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 256 | 165 | +91 | 12 | |
| 5 | | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 173 | 206 | –33 | 10 | |
| 6 | | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 202 | 150 | +52 | 8 | |
| 7 | | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 182 | 210 | –28 | 6 | |
| 8 | | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 136 | 186 | –50 | 4 | |
| 9 | | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 133 | 266 | –133 | 4 | |
| 10 | | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 104 | 310 | –206 | 2 | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
| 2 | | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 3 | | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| 4 | | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| 5 | | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
The first announcement of the 2023 NRLW season's fixtures was released by the NRL on 27 April 2023. [28] [29]
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 16-6 | | Saturday 22 July 12:50 PM [α] | Cbus Super Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 7,926 [β] | NRL | |
| | 32-16 | | Saturday 22 July 3:10 PM [α] | McDonald Jones Stadium | Darian Furner | 8,109 [β] | NRL | |
| | 18-36 | | Saturday 22 July 7:45 PM | Sunshine Coast Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 2,832 | NRL | |
| | 8-36 | | Sunday 23 July 12:00 PM | CommBank Stadium | Rochelle Tamarua | 2,095 | NRL | |
| | 28-14 | | Sunday 23 July 1:50 PM [α] | PointsBet Stadium | Kasey Badger | 10,634 [γ] | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | |||
| | 16-17 (GP) | | Thursday 27 July 5:40 PM [α] | The Gabba | Belinda Sharpe | 7,279 [β] | NRL |
| | 24-14 | | Saturday 29 July 12:50 PM [α] | GIO Stadium | Cameron Paddy | 8,034 [β] | NRL |
| | 38-12 | | Saturday 29 July 3:00 PM [α] | WIN Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 5,872 [β] | NRL |
| | 20-31 | | Sunday 30 July 12:00 PM | Belmore Sports Ground | Kasey Badger | 1,584 [δ] | NRL |
| | 10-0 | | Sunday 30 July 1:50 PM | Rochelle Tamarua | 2,196 [ε] | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 30-0 | | Thursday 3 August 5:40 PM [α] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Wyatt Raymond | 4,201 [β] | NRL | |
| | 12-40 | | Saturday 5 August 12:50 PM [ζ] | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | Nick Pelgrave | NRL | ||
| | 8-10 | | Saturday 5 August 3:10 PM | PointsBet Stadium | Darian Furner | 3,021 | NRL | |
| | 4-38 | | Sunday 6 August 12:00 PM [α] | CommBank Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 23,596 [γ] | NRL | |
| | 28-22 | | Sunday 6 August 1:50 PM [ζ] | GIO Stadium | Damian Brady | 7,140 [β] | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 18-19 (GP) | | Saturday 12 August 11:05 AM | WIN Stadium | Kasey Badger | NRL | ||
| | 16-12 | | Saturday 12 August 12:50 PM | Totally Workwear Stadium | Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski | 1,173 [δ] | NRL | |
| | 22-12 | | Saturday 12 August 3:10 PM | Rochelle Tamarua | 1,811 [ε] | NRL | ||
| | 12-36 | | Sunday 13 August 12:03 PM | PointsBet Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 1,920 | NRL | |
| | 22-10 | | Sunday 13 August 1:50 PM [α] | McDonald Jones Stadium | Liam Kennedy | 12,889 [β] | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | |||
| | 12-40 | | Saturday 19 August 11:05 AM | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 1,878 | NRL |
| | 16-20 | | Saturday 19 August 12:50 PM [α] | CommBank Stadium | Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski | 3,652 [β] | NRL |
| | 8-30 | | Saturday 19 August 3:10 PM [α] | Cbus Super Stadium | Rochelle Tamarua | 6,943 [β] | NRL |
| | 22-20 | | Sunday 20 August 12:03 PM [α] | McDonald Jones Stadium | Darian Furner | 17,043 [β] | NRL |
| | 28-22 | | Sunday 20 August 1:45 PM [α] | GIO Stadium | Kasey Badger | 7,185 [β] | NRL |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 16-12 | | Saturday 26 August 11:05 AM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | Cameron Paddy | 520 [δ] | NRL | |
| | 22-23 | | Saturday 26 August 1:15 PM | Belinda Sharpe | 1,312 [ε] | NRL | ||
| | 48-10 | | Saturday 26 August 3:10 PM [ζ] | Allianz Stadium | Mitch Currie | 8,161 [β] | NRL | |
| | 40-8 | | Sunday 27 August 12:03 PM | Totally Workwear Stadium | Rochelle Tamarua | 1,692 | NRL | |
| | 22-14 | | Sunday 27 August 1:45 PM [ζ] | McDonald Jones Stadium | Kasey Badger | 19,519 [β] | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 12-20 | | Saturday 2 September 11:05 AM | GIO Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 1,962 | NRL | |
| | 32-28 | | Saturday 2 September 12:50 PM | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | Nick Pelgrave | 1,478 [δ] | NRL | |
| | 16-48 | | Saturday 2 September 3:10 PM | Liam Kennedy | 2,497 [ε] | NRL | ||
| | 16-4 | | Sunday 3 September 12:03 PM [α] | Cbus Super Stadium | Rochelle Tamarua | 4,790 [β] | NRL | |
| | 46-12 | | Sunday 3 September 1:50 PM | Industree Group Stadium | Darian Furner | 3,756 | NRL | |
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 16-8 | | Thursday 7 September 7:45 PM | PointsBet Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 1,630 | NRL | |
| | 18-22 | | Saturday 9 September 11:30 AM | McDonald Jones Stadium | Darian Furner | NRL | ||
| | 20-4 | | Saturday 9 September 1:30 PM | Kasey Badger | 3,643 [ε] | NRL | ||
| | 12-34 | | Sunday 10 September 11:30 AM | Cbus Super Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 1,096 [δ] | NRL | |
| | 34-12 | | Sunday 10 September 1:30 PM | Rochelle Tamarua | 2,086 [ε] | NRL | ||
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 8-28 | | Thursday 14 September 7:45 PM | Leichhardt Oval [30] | Rochelle Tamarua | 1,733 | NRL | |
| | 40-16 | | Saturday 16 September 6:00 PM | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium | Wyatt Raymond | 632 [δ] | NRL | |
| | 12-46 | | Saturday 16 September 8:10 PM | Belinda Sharpe | 1,736 [ε] | NRL | ||
| | 6-56 | | Sunday 17 September 1:00 PM | GIO Stadium | Darian Furner | NRL | ||
| | 6-30 | | Sunday 17 September 3:15 PM | Kasey Badger | 2,889 [ε] | NRL | ||
Notes:
On 25 August 2023, the NRL announced that both NRLW semi-finals will be played on Sunday, 24 September 2023, at the respective, selected home grounds of the teams that finish 1st and 2nd on the ladder. The matches will be 2nd vs 3rd and 1st vs 4th. [31] Within two hours of full time in the last regular season match, the NRL announced the kick-off times of the semi-finals and confirmed the venues. [32]
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 30-24 | | Sunday. 24 September 2:05 PM | McDonald Jones Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 12,689 | NRL | |
| | 0-12 | | Sunday. 24 September 4:15 PM | Allianz Stadium | Kasey Badger | 3,028 | NRL | |
On 24 July 2023 the ARLC confirmed the men's and women's final will be held in Sydney on a one-year deal, while the new Minns Government continues to negotiate with the ARLC for further stadium upgrades for both NRL competitions. [33]
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Venue | Referees | Attendance | Reports | ||||
| | 24-18 | | Sunday 1 October 3:55 PM | Accor Stadium | Belinda Sharpe | 40,649 | NRL | |
At the conclusion of each round, the media department of the NRL announce a team of the week. Seventeen players are named.
Announced on the evening of 27 September 2023. [43]
| Jersey | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fullback | |
| 2 | Wing | |
| 3 | Centre | |
| 4 | Centre | |
| 5 | Wing | |
| 6 | Fullback | |
| 7 | Halfback | |
| 8 | Prop | |
| 9 | Hooker | |
| 10 | Prop | |
| 11 | Second-row | |
| 12 | Second-row | |
| 13 | Lock | |
The Rugby League Players Association announced the 2023 Players' Dream team on 29 September 2023. [44]
| Jersey | Position | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fullback | |
| 2 | Wing | |
| 3 | Centre | |
| 4 | Centre | |
| 5 | Wing | |
| 6 | Fullback | |
| 7 | Halfback | |
| 8 | Prop | |
| 9 | Hooker | |
| 10 | Prop | |
| 11 | Second-row | |
| 12 | Second-row | |
| 13 | Lock | |
Announced on the evening of 27 September 2023 [43]
Dally M Medal Player of the Year:
Tamika Upton (
Newcastle Knights)
Veronica White Medal:
Tahlulah Tillett (
North Queensland Cowboys).
Captain of the Year:
Simaima Taufa (
Canberra Raiders).
Coach of the Year:
Karyn Murphy (
Gold Coast Titans).
Provan-Summons Medal:
Lavinia Gould (
Brisbane Broncos).
Rookie of the Year:
Annessa Biddle (
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks).
Try of the Year:
Jesse Southwell (
Newcastle Knights)
vs Sydney Roosters in Round 9.
Tackle of the Year:
Jakiya Whitfeld (
Wests Tigers)
vs Sydney Roosters in Round 6.
The following awards were presented at Olympic Park, New South Wales on Grand Final day, 1 October 2023.
Karyn Murphy Medal Player of the Match:
Tamika Upton
Newcastle Knights
The following awards were voted for by NRLW players and announced at the end of the season.
The Players' Champion:
Teagan Berry (
St. George Illawarra Dragons) [45]
Rookie of the Year:
Annessa Biddle (
Cronulla Sharks) [46]
The following award, selected from five nominees, was announced at the end of the season.
Dennis Tutty Award:
Chelsea Lenarduzzi (
Brisbane Broncos) [47]
The Rugby League Players Association announced monthly awards during the season. A panel of three former players selected five players for each month. All current players were eligible to vote for the monthly awards.
Highest Point Scorer in Regular-season: Ali Brigginshaw (
Brisbane Broncos) 80 (5t 30g)
Top Try Scorer in Regular-season: Teagan Berry (
St George Illawarra Dragons) 11
| Club | Player of the Year | Player's Player | Members' Award | Coach's Award | Rookie / Emerging Talent | Community | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Mariah Denman | Mariah Denman & Mele Hufanga | — | — | Mele Hufanga | — | [50] |
| | Simaima Taufa | — | — | Janelle Williams | Cheyelle Robins-Reti | — | [51] [52] |
| | Tiana Penitani | Annessa Biddle | — | — | Annessa Biddle | Jada Taylor | [53] |
| | Shannon Mato | — | Evania Pelite | Georgia Hale | Chantay Kiria-Ratu | Steph Hancock | [54] |
| | Tamika Upton | Tamika Upton & Shanice Parker | — | Yasmin Clydsdale | Sheridan Gallagher | Kayla Romaniuk | [55] |
| | Emma Manzelmann | Emma Manzelmann | Kirra Dibb | China Polata | Fran Goldthorp | — | [56] [57] [58] |
| | Abbi Church | Cassey Tohi-Hiku | Abbi Church | Mahalia Murphy | — | Shontelle Stowers | [59] |
| | Teagan Berry | — | Teagan Berry | Alexis Tauaneai | Ella Koster | — | [60] |
| | Tarryn Aiken | Corban Baxter | — | — | Mia Wood | Brydie Parker | [61] |
| | Sarah Togatuki | Sarah Togatuki | — | — | Eliza Siilata | — | [62] |
As clubs each define their own award categories there are awards that do not fit into the above categories:
Player signings for the 2023 season were effectively placed on hold until an in-principle agreement between the NRL and RLPA was reached. This was announced on 14 February 2023. [4]
The 2023 season salary cap for clubs is $900,000 and the minimum wage for contracted players is $30,000. Squad size is 24 players plus 4 development players. [3] The official signing period commenced on 29 March 2023. [63] Clubs are required to fill their 24-player roster by 24 May 2023. [4]
Table last updated: 25 May 2023.