Panthers join NSW Women's Premiership for 2025
The Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership kicks off tomorrow night with a new club in action for the 2025 season after Penrith Panthers joined the state's premier competition for female Rugby League players.
The competition will be played over 11 rounds and will feature 12 clubs – Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Central Coast Roosters, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Illawarra Steelers, Mounties, Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, St George Dragons, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Wentworthville Magpies and Wests Tigers.
The growth in female participation has been impressive over recent seasons with almost 33,500 female players registered across NSWRL for the 2025 season - an increase of 14 per cent on last year – and representing 27 per cent of total participants.
The figures for the Penrith area are equally as impressive with 1,995 female participants signed up for the 2025 season which is a 23 per cent increase on last year.
“The Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership is the elite competition for female Rugby League players in NSW and provides plenty of highlights every season,” NSWRL Chief Executive David Trodden said.
“It also offers solid grounding for any female Rugby League player looking to take that next step in their career with around 60 per cent of players graduating to play in the NRLW competition.
“Female Rugby League participation in NSW continues to go from strength to strength with a new benchmark set again this season after surpassing more than 30,000 participants for the first time in history.
“The NSWRL is extremely proud of the pathways we have established for female Rugby League players and that success can be measured by the fact that both our Westpac NSW Under 19s Women and Westpac NSW Blues Women were successful in State of Origin this year.
“I welcome Penrith into the competition which has always been a strong nursery for our great game and wish all clubs the best of luck for the 2025 season.”
The competition will kick-off tomorrow night when Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks host Parramatta Eels at Sharks Stadium.
On Saturday, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs will host Newcastle Knights at Belmore Sports Ground, Mounties will take on St George Dragons at Aubrey Keech Reserve and Illawarra Steelers will face Wests Tigers at Collegians Sporting Complex.
On Sunday the Central Coast Roosters will take on Penrith Panthers at Woy Woy Oval with the round to conclude on Monday night when Wentworthville Magpies host South Sydney Rabbitohs at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence.
The opening round features some of the best young talent in female Rugby League, including 10 players who were part of the victorious Westpac NSW Under 19s Women’s team that beat Queensland Under 19s Women 26-10 on the Sunshine Coast last month.
They include Tess McWilliams, Fontayne Tufuga and Khyliah Gray (Parramatta Eels), Liesl Hopoate and Siulolo Richter (Mounties), Maria Paseka, Tori Shipton and Tahlia O’Brien (Illawarra Steelers), and Tyra Ekepati and Logan Fletcher (Central Coast Roosters).
Kayla Henderson (Newcastle Knights) and Kiara McGregor (South Sydney Rabbitohs) have also been named and were part of the NSW Under 19s Women’s extended squad.
True Blue Maddie Studdon will play halfback for the Illawarra Steelers, having been part of the coaching staff for the Westpac NSW Under 19s Women's team.
Click here for the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership draw.
