Rising stars to shine at Regional Girls Academy

The state’s most promising young regional talent will attend the NSWRL Centre of Excellence this weekend (18-19 April) for the second Westpac NSW Emerging Regional Girls Academy.

The two-day program for Under 17s girls follows the Grand Final of the 2026 Westpac Regional Lisa Fiaola Cup (Under 17s) in Port Macquarie last month, with Northern Tigers claiming their maiden premiership with a 26-18 win over Riverina Bulls.

Both Grand Final teams are well represented in the 25-player squad with the Tigers and the Bulls having seven players each. Other regions represented include Western Rams (5), North Coast Bulldogs (4) and Northern Rivers Titans (2).

NSWRL Female Pathways Manager Kylie Hilder said the academy is built around education, giving regional players the next step and the tools they need to keep progressing in the game.

“We want to give them as much education as we can in these two days,” Hilder said.

“There are 25 girls that have been identified, and we will bring them in to do some education, field sessions and gym sessions.

“As emerging players, we want to educate them with the information they need to continue moving forward.”

Participants will take part in a holistic high-performance program that combines on-field skill development with off-field learning in key areas such as nutrition, strength and conditioning, and wellbeing. The squad will train at Tom Wills Oval in Sydney Olympic Park.

The academy environment is designed to not only challenge the players but support them by giving them access to the same level of education and resources as players from metropolitan counterparts.

That investment is already paying off, with regional players continuing to push into higher levels of the game.

“We had two girls actually get picked up in the metropolitan competition,” Hilder said.

“One of them played fullback for Penrith on the weekend and then we had another one that was 18th (player) for Newcastle.

“That is what the competition is for, it is a pathway competition. We really want them to go to that next level.”

The weekend will also act as a selection guide for the Country v City Under 17s Girls match in May.

“We will be putting them through two field sessions, two theory sessions and a gym session, as well as having a little bit of a game on the Sunday,” Hilder said.

“This is purely to give them another opportunity to impress while the 2026 Country side is being finalised, so the coaches can take a closer look at our regional talent.”

2026 Westpac NSW Emerging Regional Girls Academy (in alphabetical order): Vida Alexander (Riverina Bulls), Ellie Bailey (North Coast Bulldogs), Sophie Boxsell (Riverina Bulls), Ruby Brochtrup (Northern Tigers), Molly Burgess (Western Rams), Jayda Cohen (Northern Tigers), Ruby Douglas (Riverina Bulls), Macy Field (Northern Rivers Titans), Chelsea Gallagher (Western Rams), April Gardiner (Western Rams), Ava Gilbert (North Coast Bulldogs), Sophie Gilchrist (Riverina Bulls), Lily Gregory (Western Rams), Ruby Hansen (Northern Tigers), Teleah Holbert (North Coast Bulldogs), Sicily Lawrence (Riverina Bulls), Isobel Macrae (Northern Tigers), Pippa Malone (Riverina Bulls), Malia Morrison (Western Rams), Lily Moseley (North Coast Bulldogs), Ebony Pepperell (Northern Tigers), Alliena Roddy (Riverina Bulls), Tia-Nara Slater-Saunders (Northern Tigers), Taya Solman (Northern Tigers), Molly Zolles-O’Regan (Northern Rivers Titans).