NRLW grand finalists back themselves to handle the heat

Newcastle coach Ron Griffiths has not addressed the expected heat for the NRLW grand final with his team despite warnings preparation for the tough conditions should already have started.

Temperatures of 34C have been forecast for Homebush at 4 pm (AEDT) on Sunday when the NRLW decider between Gold Coast and Newcastle kicks off.

The NRL has guidelines in place for hot conditions, which are likelier to be employed for the NRLW game than the men’s match in the evening.

When the temperature reached 30C in the round three men’s match between Canterbury and Wests Tigers, drinks breaks were added midway through each half and extra trainers were deployed.

The NRL is on stand-by to implement similar measures on Sunday as required, which could include pushing kick-off back if conditions are deemed dangerous.

Neither Griffiths nor Titans coach Karyn Murphy will fixate on the weather forecast ahead of the game.

“We haven’t spoken about it,” Griffiths said.

“We’ve obviously seen the weather reports as a staff but at the end of the day, we’ve just got to go out and play.

“Whenever you play in any adverse weather conditions it’s always going to impact the game but for us, we’ve just got to get through it. At the end of the day, there’s not much (we can do).”

Murphy backed the NRL to intervene if necessary.

“They’ll look at that like they have to look at that with the policy,” she said.

“All we’ll do is focus on whatever it is out there and play footy like we normally do. Nothing changes from our point of view.”

But Dr Dom Condo of Deakin University’s health faculty told AAP that teams’ preparation for extreme conditions needed to start in advance of the grand final.

“It can’t just be, it’s grand final day, we’ll start that morning with drinking some more water,” she said.

“It really needs to be in the lead-up, at least three to four days before, increasing fluid intake, making sure that it’s not just water but also electrolytes.”

Dr Condo warned the heat would pose a risk to players if teams were unprepared.

“As an overall, we probably start to become aware of it when it gets into those mid 30s,” she said.

“If dehydration is left untreated, then we know we can get a whole bunch of symptoms like dizziness, fainting, tiredness, headaches. All of those things can really impact performance.”

Elsewhere, Isabelle Kelly has capped off a strong NRLW season with a contract extension to remain with the Sydney Roosters through 2026.

The captain now holds the longest active NRLW contract at the Roosters, though teammate Millie Boyle has an option to stay put after her deal formally expires in 2025.

“I’m incredibly proud to know that I’ll continue to represent the Sydney Roosters for at least the next three years,” Kelly said.