Only five NRLW players are contracted until 2027, four of them at Newcastle. They’re building an empire
The Knights had lost ten players from their 2022 premiership-winning side before the NRLW season began.
Players spread around eastern Australia as better wage packets, permanent roster positions, and leadership chances tempted them to join clubs when the tournament expanded to ten teams in 2023.
After all, multi-year contracts weren’t possible until 2023, thus clubs were used to a large churn of players.
When the opportunity to sign NRLW players on long-term contracts became available, Newcastle signed four of their best – Tamika Upton, Georgia Roche, Jesse Southwell, and Hannah Southwell – to five-year contracts, the only club to do so aside from the Roosters, who signed former Knights captain Millie Boyle on a potential five-year deal.
Newcastle is going towards their second consecutive grand final after defeating the Broncos in the semi-final in front of a home crowd of 12,689 people and capturing the club’s first minor championship. Locking down players was a no-brainer for Knights coach Ronald Griffiths.
“When we’re talking about not having high turnover, well, it creates some stability for the club,” Griffiths went on to say. “Any sporting organization that wants long-term success should turn over as little as possible.” They have the ability to get stronger over time if they have the proper people and mechanisms in place. That’s what we were searching for as a company.”
The Southwell sisters are a significant component in the Newcastle system. Hannah and Jesse, local youngsters and home-grown talent, are a huge draw for fans and players, and a tribute to how vital paths are at a club, according to Griffiths.
“The club was always strong in our grassroots in Newcastle, but I’d like to think over the last 18 months we’ve been working on a wider strategic approach to make sure of the long-term viability of the club to develop people from our own area,” added Griffiths.
“The long-term vision is then enticing for the players to be here. The women’s game will evolve really quickly. Some of the girls right now will be able to play under-7s through to NRLW. So, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right development systems in place to capitalise on that growth.”
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Newcastle, says Jesse. In their first year the team lost every game and ran last in the competition, but the turnaround has been enormous.
“The year before last, we were dead last,” she said. “The growth from the first season we were involved to the second season was insane. And then the growth from last season to this season is just incredible.
“The way that the town has gotten around us is completely different to last year, but it still has that heartfelt [feeling], and I don’t think that will ever go away from Newcastle.”
Despite losing crucial players this year, Jesse said the team always believed they could have a strong season.
“I wasn’t really stressed when 10 girls left because I knew we had the right girls here,” she said. “The right girls with the right attitude, and those girls that are here, and they want to be here, they want to do it for this town, and they want to do it for each other.
“Obviously, we saw how good those girls are that did leave, but to see the way our team has grouped together, it just goes to show that a team will beat individuals any day of the week.”
One person who won’t be surprised by Newcastle’s success would be former skipper Boyle, who forecast their dominance before the season started.
Tamika Upton of Newcastle was voted Dally M player of the year, and the squad has only lost one game this season. They face Karyn Murphy’s Titans on Sunday, after the Gold Coast upset premiership favourites the Roosters last weekend.
Jesse believes the Knights must focus on the fundamentals if they are to become the first Newcastle club to win back-to-back premierships.
“You’ve got to have a great defensive side to beat any side,” she said. “Defence wins games, and especially grand finals. You just want to keep the foot on the throat. As obvious as it is, that’s what you need to do, and what you have to do especially in grand finals.
“We’ve had lapses in concentration all year, so I think it’s super important that in the grand final we don’t have those lapses. Just making sure everyone knows, and it’s clear on the field, that no matter what happens, we have to keep going. The Gold Coast are a great side, so we have to do whatever we need to make sure we keep the momentum going.”
“I’d say the team to beat is the Knights because they won the premiership last year, and they’ve got a big core group of their squad still together, a lot of great players, and they’ve got a great coach under Ronnie Griffiths,” Boyle told this masthead.
