Titans NRLW team and 2022 Draw

[DIEHARD]

[DIEHARD]

Squad game: Titans NRLW analysis and best 17
https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/01/14/...s-and-best-17/

The Titans are one of three new clubs that will compete in the NRL Telstra Women's Premiership and boast an inaugural squad with plenty of youth and international experience.

Titans coach Jamie Feeney is close to finalising the group of 24 players who will step onto the field for the first time in 2022 with the intent to make an immediate impact on the competition.

A possible 13 debutantes make up the squad so far including young guns Destiny Brill and Tiana Raftstrand-Smith, who both excelled in women's State of Origin in 2021.

Raftstrand-Smith had a bumper 2021, winning player of the tournament honours at the Harvey Norman National Championships in May before being part of Burleigh's win in the BHP Premiership.

The young gun was used as a back-rower in her Origin debut for Queensland but is more than capable of slotting into the halves or in the centres.

Rising forward April Ngatupuna and Jasmine Peters are also players to have on the radar for the future.

Arguably the side's biggest signing came in late December with confirmation former Warrior and Olympic gold medallist Evania Pelite will join the club.

Pelite starred in the centres during her time in the NRLW in 2020 but could provide an even greater impact at fullback.

Possible best 17
1. Evania Pelite 2. Karina Brown 3. Jasmine Peters 4. Lauren Dam 5. Jetaya Faifua 6. Kimiora Breayley-Nati 7. Karli Hansen 8. Crystal Tamarua 9. Destiny Brill 10. Shannon Mato 11. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith 12. Tazmin Gray 13. Georgia Hale. Interchange: 14. Brittany Breayley-Nati 15. Steph Hancock 16. Brianna Clark 17. Jessika Elliston.

Biggest strength
The side's engine room easily matches rivals with plenty of international experience.

Crystal Tamarua and Georgia Hale are among the best forwards to come out of New Zealand while Tazmin Gray was player of the match in the 2021 women's Origin after a dominating performance on the edge.

The likes of Steph Hancock and Brittany Breayley-Nati coming adds further experience while Jessika Elliston is a handy pick-up from the Broncos after recovering from ankle surgery.

Biggest question mark
Likely halves pairing Kimiora Breayley-Nati and Karli Hansen are untested as a combination and will need to click fast to steer the side around the field.

Both players bring plenty of upside with their games but like the rest of their teammates have played minimal football in the last 18 months.

Breayley-Nati hasn't played an NRLW game since 2019 following a heart scare but prior to that showed her class while at the Broncos to earn player of the match honours in the 2018 NRLW grand final.

Hansen made her Test debut for the Kiwi Ferns in 2020 and impressed alongside Knights playmaker Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly.

Draw snapshot
The Titans will open their campaign with a history-making clash against the Dragons at McDonald Jones Stadium on February 27.

They'll return home to the Gold Coast in round four for a local derby clash against heavyweights Brisbane at CBus Super Stadium on March 19 in another key match.

[DIEHARD]

'We will be ready' - Feeney
https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/02/17/...eady---feeney/
Gold Coast Titans NRLW Coach Jamie Feeney says his side will be ready to go when they finally take the field for Round 1 next weekend.

[kioli]

Really excited by our entry into the NRLW and keen to have a personal stake in the games now.

[Hail Sezer]

Our first ever NRLW Teamlist, playing the Dragons this Sunday at 12pm:

1. Evania Pelite
2. Karina Brown
3. Jasmine Peters
4. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith
5. Jetaya Faifua
6. Grace Griffin
7. Kimi Breayley-Nati
8. Shannon Mato
9. Brittany Brealey-Nati (C)
10. Brianna Clark
11. Zara Canfield
12. Tazmin Gray
13. Destiny Brill

14. Georgia Hale
15. Jessika Elliston
16. Steph Hancock
17. Shaniah Power

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2022/...team-selected/

[lonegull]

Can’t wait to see the titans NRLW side run out, exciting times ahead with the team having a great blend of youth and experience

[DIEHARD]

ABC Radio to air one-hour Titans NRLW special
https://www.titans.com.au/news/2022/...-nrlw-special/

This Sunday's NRLW debut will be a momentous occasion for the Gold Coast and Titans fans will get a unique opportunity to hear first-hand how exciting the club's inaugural clash will be for players and staff.

In the lead-up to kick-off, join Nicole Dyer on ABC Radio as she celebrates the historic match day for the inaugural Titans NRLW side in a one-hour radio special.

A milestone for women’s rugby league, hear from Australia’s most capped Jillaroo and Titans assistant coach Tahnee Norris and chief executive Steve Mitchell on getting to this moment, and from coach Jamie Feeney about how the pre-season journey has been.

Titans stars Grace Griffin, Georgia Hale and Karina Brown will also share how much pulling on a Titans jersey means to them as ABC Radio captures the excitement and anticipation right before kick-off.

To listen, tune in from 10am Sunday on ABC Gold Coast (91.7FM), Queensland local radio and anywhere across the country via the ABC Listen App or online here.

[DIEHARD]

How a coffee catch-up helped set in motion plans for Gold Coast women’s team
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...8db9a48fff7edf

IT WAS a casual conversation over coffee between two Gold Coast rugby league figureheads that first planted the seed for a Titans NRL Women’s Premiership team.

On Sunday, that conversation comes full circle.

The Gold Coast Titans will make their NRL Women’s Premiership debut away to St George Illawarra a touch over seven years after Karina Brown and Rebecca Frizelle sat down to talk tactics.

“It was 2014 and the NRL at the time was hosting a mentor program with high profile women in the NRL world, and Rebecca Frizelle who at the time was a sponsor of the Titans and on the board became (my mentor),” Titans outside back Brown recalled of her first meeting with the now-club co-owner.

“I remember saying to her how good it would be to one day have a women’s Titans team – that would be the ultimate dream.”

Brown conceded that at the time it was nothing more than “a little pipe dream” – the NRLW would not be established until four years later.

But the Australian and Queensland representative had by then already built her own team from the ground up, the Burleigh Bears, and Brown recalled sharing her dreams with the then-Titans board member.

“I was telling her all about my dreams of winning a grand final with the Burleigh Bears at that point,” Brown said.

Like many in her position, Brown did not have the same opportunities to play rugby league growing up.

Her first game was at Runaway Bay in 2010. After a year abroad, Brown returned to the Coast in 2012 to discover the Seagulls were not fielding a team that season.

“Damien Driscoll was the CEO at Bay and he moved to Burleigh. I called him and said ‘hey, I would love to field a team in 2012’,” Brown recalled.

“I was 23 years old. I had to go get a sponsor, 30 players, a coach, a manager … I had to do it all. Looking back it’s quite funny to think what’s actually achievable.

“It was a monumental amount of work but I was just so driven to have this team on the Gold Coast that somehow I managed to pull it together – not by myself, of course.”

Burleigh has since won six of the past seven seasons, including the 2021 BHP Premiership title.

A team built predominantly of local talent, Burleigh has flown the flag for women’s football on the Gold Coast for the past decade and while that will continue, the Bears have a new ally at the top of the tree – and Brown could not be more excited.

“Being a Gold Coast girl – I went to Marymount College – it’s cool to have been a driving force at the Bears and to now make history as part of the first-ever women’s Titans team,” she said.

“This is the final piece to the Titans puzzle in really having an organisation that has quality and diversity.

“Having a women’s team there also gives the local junior girls something to aspire to now. They have a complete pathway.”

Brown was this week nominated for the 2021 Veronica White Medal, which recognises contributions by female rugby league players in their local communities and beyond.

A selfless advocate for women and girls in rugby league, spare Brown a personal moment of satisfaction on Sunday as a dream to represent her home town on the big stage is finally realised.

[Boonarga]

Some work to do for the coach. Stop the useless midfield bombs. Get completions up. Make the ball gold... if it's on the ground, get to it!

[kioli]

First ever NRLW game mirrored our first ever NRL game.
Was great to see our women out there on the field today.

[Hail Sezer]

Well done to the women. Despite the loss they came back and didn’t give up.

A lot of work to do - we’ve got a lot of really young players (18 year olds) and they’ll be better the more games they get under their belt.

Discipline today was disappointing but I have to say it - the refereeing was really bad. They need to upskill that part of the game quickly because it impacts the integrity of the product that they’re working so hard to grow.

[lonegull]

Good game by the titans never gave up, some silly mistakes and bad options but that’s expected being round 1

Agree with HS about the referee a couple of calls and her control of the game cost the titans on more then a few occasions

[Hail Sezer]

Feeney pretty brutal in his post match press conference about the poor performance. And rightly so. He's pissed.

Only 3 attacking sets in the Dragons 20, where we scored twice and had one disallowed.

We play a very good Roosters side next week and we could be without Tazmin Gray for a pretty lazy high shot.

[lonegull]

Just watched the presser geez you are right HS Feeney didnt mince his words he is one passionate coach

[Hail Sezer]

Gold Coast Titans v Sydney Roosters

1. Evania Pelite
2. Karina Brown
3. Jasmine Peters
4. Tiana Raftstrand-Smith
5. Lauren Dam
6. Grace Griffin
7. Kimi Breayley-Nati
8. Shannon Mato
9. Brittany Breayley-Nati (c)
10. Steph Hancock
11. Zara Canfield
12. Tazmin Gray
13. Destiny Brill

14. Georgia Hale
15. Jessika Elliston
16. Brianna Clark
17. Shaniah Power

Dam in for Faifua, Peters gets the all clear after the headknock in the All Stars game. I imagine Hale will start at 13 again with Brill to come off the bench at dummy half.