The National Rugby League (NRL) will host the very first premiership competition for Women’s Rugby League beginning on Saturday 8 September. The Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Warriors will compete in the inaugural competition, with excitement and anticipation building as to who will reign victorious come Grand Final day.

The competition will be played throughout the NRL Finals Series. Four NRL clubs won five-year licences in March to feature in the inaugural season – the Sydney Roosters, Brisbane Broncos, NZ Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons. Each team consists of up to a maximum 15 marquee players, signed from both the Australian and New Zealand elite squads, while the remainder of squads are made up of local juniors, cross-code players, Talent ID athletes and free agents. The women’s competition will be played during the men’s final series and act as double headers with venues and times to be confirmed each Sunday afternoon.

Round One fixtures were decided on Sunday 2 September with the Warriors taking on the Roosters at ANZ Stadium prior to the Warriors-Panthers NRL clash, while Brisbane will host St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium before the men’s sudden-death clash. Each team will play each other once across three weeks before the top two sides progress to the grand final – played on September 30 at ANZ Stadium prior to the men’s NRL grand final. All games throughout the competition will be telecasted live on Channel Nine, Fox Sports and the NRL Live Pass app.

Information and latest updates on teams and matches will be housed on the Women’s Rugby League website.

Readers also enjoyed this story about the Women in Digital Awards.