2023 NRLW Recruitment & Retention Thread

mullenmagic said:
I haven’t had any issue with it today Billy. The interview is all pretty generic stuff. Both wanted to stay and Jesse doesn't need to move out of home yet. They were asked about some of the losses like Boyle but both said they’re confident in the group of locals that all wanted to stick together.

Here's the full release that includes some of the quotes:

NSW and Australian representative Hannah Southwell and 2022 NRLW Rookie of the Year Jesse Southwell have reaffirmed their commitment to their hometown Club by resigning with the nib Newcastle Knights on long term deals.

Both sisters have signed agreements with club for the upcoming 2023 NRL Telstra Women’s Premiership season, including terms that date through to the end of 2027.

The retention of the home-grown pairing comes off the back of the long-term signings of three-time Premiership winner and 2022 Karyn Murphy Medallist Tamika Upton and dual premiership winning teammate Yasmin Clydsdale.

24-year-old Hannah was co-captain of the 2022 Premiership winning Knights side having joined the Club from the Sydney Roosters, where she was a member of the 2021 title-winning team.

The five-time NSW representative and two-Test Jillaroo – one of an elite group of athletes to have represented Australia in three sports – is on track to make a return at the start of the 2023 season, after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in her club debut in round one last year.

“I’m excited to sign a long-term contract and secure my future with the Knights,” Hannah said.

“This is where I have always wanted to play my footy.

“I have openly expressed my desire to play at the Knights with my sister Jesse and this deal ensures we can do that together for a long time.

“We are building a great squad, which is based on a team first attitude, we know this group will be happy to work really hard towards common goals and from my experience that is a good platform for success.”

18-year-old Jesse capped a meteoric rise in 2022 by guiding the Knights to Premiership victory, scoring a try, and kicking a goal in the Knights Grand Final victory over Parramatta.

She also collected a Commonwealth Games Gold Medal in rugby sevens during last season before being named the best new talent in the competition at the Dally M Medal night.

“2022 was a bit of a blur but I would not change it for the world,” Jesse said.

“We will re-sign the large majority of last year squad, who will be so much better for the experience, especially with Hannah, Yasmin and Tamika leading us into another strong competition.

“There will be a new set of challenges for 2023, but with the squad we are assembling here in Newcastle, including some new additions, I look forward to another very enjoyable year.

Knights Director of Football Peter Parr says the foundation provided by Upton, Clydsdale and the Southwells, along with the signings still to come, will stand the Club in good stead for 2023 and beyond.

“Hannah provides talent, experience and leadership and we are delighted to have her commit long term,” Parr said.

“Jesse has the potential to be a generational player, the skill and composure she shows at such a young age is special.

“We are excited about what the future holds and thrilled they have committed to their hometown”.

Newcastle Knights 2023 NRLW players will start official duties when the squad assembles for preseason training in late May. More signings will be announced in the near future.

www.newcastleknights.com.au

Home is where the heart is for Southwell sisters

NSW and Australian representative Hannah Southwell and 2022 NRLW Rookie of the Year Jesse Southwell have reaffirmed their commitment to their hometown Club by resigning with the nib Newcastle Knights on long term deals.
www.newcastleknights.com.au www.newcastleknights.com.au
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Thanks for that - I've tried 3 different browsers and 2 different devises and can't open the Knights site, so don't know what that's about.
 
I’d hate to be a fan of any other club in the NRLW, thinking you’d gotten off to a good start signings-wise, then seeing the Knights announce the best fullback, best back rower, best lock, and soon-to-be best halfback in the comp as their first four signings. We’re on another level from these bums.
 
Millie might be doing the old 1 year rental for whoever pays the most. Gotta capitalize on the growing women's salaries while she's still one of the top names in the sport. Maybe she'll end up back here eventually with Elliott.
 
Very much the impression I get too Josh. It’s a bit more of a perilous path for your post footy career. Tamika is setting herself up to have work for life after footy around the club and/or in the Newy region. Millie needs some of her off-field endeavours, especially the comms work, to pan out.
 
Will be interested to see what the plan is with her and Moran. She looks a lot more dynamic with the ball but Moran will probably be in the 17 somewhere and I can only see her as a half. Roche looks like she could probably play centre or bench utility as well.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Very much the impression I get too Josh. It’s a bit more of a perilous path for your post footy career. Tamika is setting herself up to have work for life after footy around the club and/or in the Newy region. Millie needs some of her off-field endeavours, especially the comms work, to pan out.
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Millie has her own company, set up and operating from Newcastle. The roosters is just a paycheck at this stage. Good on her, rather see her playing here but if we aren't paying her the sombreros will.

We have some talented girls coming through the grades so hopefully some of them can hold the fortress up and we don't get stripped bare by other teams.
 
Autumn-Rain Stephens Daly expected to sign with the Cowboys too. Can’t say I’m too sad about it, she’s a utility but don’t think she’s ever looked particularly good at any position.

Shanice Parker is the only outside back we’re rumoured to have signed at the moment though. Mia Middleton & Tylah Vallance would be my picks of the juniors to promote, but we’re going to need to bring some in from outside as well.
 
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Parker definitely our best backline minus Upton. Be nice to bring in some real strike power on wing/centre though. We haven’t had that in first two years.
 
The outside backs were the only part of the roster which was meh last season IMO, besides Shanice who was brilliant, and I thought Paki looks like she has a lot of potential, so it’s the obvious spot to bring some young girls through in if we’ve got some talent coming through.

Very interested to see what happens with Jasmin Strange.
 
I rate Paki as well, would definitely bring her back if she's healthy. No clue how her recovery is going but timeline-wise she might struggle to get a good pre-season in.
 
With expected/rumoured signings we’re at 13/24 roster spots.

2 backs (Upton, Parker)
3 halves (Southwell, Roche, Moran)
1 hooker (Higgins)
5 middle forwards (Southwell, Predebon, Romaniuk, Butler, Davison)
2 edge forwards (Johnston, Clydsdale)

Not including Jacinta Carter & Kyra Simon who will probably be part of the squad in some capacity, so potentially at 15. Would prefer Simon on a development deal if anything. Tiana Davison can fill in on an edge too but she was playing exclusively in the middle in the state side from what I saw.

Need;
5 more outside backs minimum, probably 6 + another in development squad
1 depth half
1 depth hooker
Preferably 1 more starting prop and maybe another for depth depending on Carter & Simon
At least 1 or 2 depth edge forwards
 
Strong analysis mulldawg. Looks to me we’ll be retaining a higher proportion of our starting 17 than most existing clubs, but that there’ll still be a bit of turnover in the broader squad.
 
Both Georgia Roche and Jesse Southwell can play hooker.
Half of Roche's highlights are at hooker and she looks really sharp.
Jesse Southwell played a few positions in Tarsha Gale, but not 7 because they didn't want to move Mathilda Jones for a few games to make way for her. Jesse was amazing at hooker - great passing game, best defender in the team, better than all the props in Tarsha Gale, great kicking and running from dummy half. I'd say she is as good or better at hooker than she is at halfback, but maybe doesn't have the fitness to do full minutes.

Griffiths said months ago that providing accommodation like we did for all those Kiwi and Nth Qld girls in the first two seasons was financially unsustainable, so we need to breed our own, so I don't think we'll be looking for many more imports, unless they pay their own way.

The English article about Georgia Roche says that her and the girl going to Canberra are going to be England's first full time professional women's RL players. She is now training with the England team, so she should arrive in a few weeks at peak fitness, but if she is going into fulltime training for the first time when she gets here, she might make Dom Young like gains in fitness.
 
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