True Blue Jamie Soward believes Teagan Berry has yet to fulfil her potential after the 21-year-old was voted by her peers as the NRLW Players’ Champion in the Rugby League Players’ Association annual awards.
The recognition as the competition’s best NRLW player in 2023 follows being named at fullback in the RLPA’s Dream Team a week ago.
Berry had a sterling season for Soward’s St George Illawarra side scoring 11 tries from nine games. Her 21 tries across four NRLW seasons also makes her the leading Dragons try scorer.
But for first three years in the famous Red-V jersey she played on the wing. It was only this year that Soward moved her to No.1.
“We both sat down to talk about it, her long-term goal had always been to play fullback,” Soward told nswrl.com.au
“I told her she’d get a chance there. She did start at fullback, and we were both assessing her development.
“A few weeks in we had another conversation on whether it was her position or not – she was going to tell me.
“But the way she trained and how quickly she picked it up meant it was a short conversation.
“I’m not taking the credit for it because it was her vision, she did all the work. I just gave her the opportunity.”
Berry secured the Players’ Champion award ahead of fellow finalists Tarryn Aiken (Sydney Roosters), Zahara Temara (Canberra Raiders), Sarah Togatuki (Wests Tigers), and Tamika Upton (Newcastle Knights).
“She’s our all-time leading try scorer, I put her up there with Tamika Upton,” Soward said.
“And I feel she just scratched the surface this year. She probably doesn’t know how good she can be.
“She prides herself on being a competitor and we need that from her as go forward to 2024.”
Since the RLPA introduced the Players’ Champion award for NRLW players in 2019, four of the five winners have been NSW Sky Blues players: Jess Sergis (2019), Hannah Southwell (2020), Emma Tonegato (2021) and now Berry (2023).
