It all came down to the final game of the regular season between the Parramatta Eels and Sydney Roosters, but the semi-finalists for the National Women's Rugby League Premiership are confirmed with the Brisbane Broncos, Roosters, Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks progressing to the knock-out stage of the competition.
The Broncos will take on the Sharks on Sunday afternoon at 2:05pm. After sitting on top of the ladder for the first six rounds, undefeated, the Sharks go into the finals with the worst form out of the top four, having lost their last three games (including a shellacking at the hands of the Roosters). Unfortunately for the Sharks, there are some key injuries to players like Brooke Anderson and Jada Taylor which will weaken them this weekend. Given the Broncos tremendous form and their attacking class all over the field, and the fact that they have a point to prove after missing the Grand Final last year, I am tipping them to win.
I'm really keen for the next game which is happening on Sunday at 4:15pm. The Roosters have fallen short in this game in the last two years, despite being one of the stand-out teams in the competition. I'm tipping that to happen for the third year in a row with the Knights to get the win in this game. For moments during this season, the Knights have been challenged by some of the better teams in the competition, but when you have Tamika Upton in your side, anything is possible.
As for the competition as a whole, in my view the NRLW has been more competitive this year, with almost every team being able to beat their opposition on the day. We saw some upsets throughout the competition and some tight scorelines, which is much better than some of the blow out scores we saw toward the end of the 2023 season.
The Gold Coast Titans have gone from Grand Finalists to missing out on the top four completely.
Parramatta have gone from a wooden spoon finish to just two points out of the top four.
But most people would have picked three out of the four teams who have made finals.
The surprise packet were the Cronulla Sharks and the biggest disappointment were the Gold Cost Titans. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what happened to the Titans, but the 'junkyard dog' mentality which took the Titans so far last year has not been as present this season. Too much dependence on Lauren Brown also hurt them in key fixtures.
The eventual make-up of the top four demonstrates that there is still a gap between the teams that have plenty of representative stars, versus the teams that do not. For the Sharks, their players that have represented Australia alone include Tiana Penitani, Holli Wheeler, Emma Tonegato, Nakia Davis-Welsh and Vanessa Foliaki.
For the Knights, their squad includes Caitlan Johnston-Green, Tamika Upton, Yasmin Clydesdale and Hannah Southwell.
For the Roosters, their squad includes Isabelle Kelly, Jess Sergis, Olivia Kernick, Millie Boyle, Corban McGregor, Samantha Bremner and Keeley Davis.
The Broncos round out the top four with a squad including Ali Brigginshaw, Julia Robinson, Shenae Ciesiolka, Keilee Joseph and Chelsea Lenarduzzi.
Compare that to the fifth placed Eels, with Kennedy Cherrington the only player to have played for the Jillaroos or the Wests Tigers whose sole representative is Kezie Apps.
I'm using the above just as an illustration, as there are a number of internationals who have featured for countries like New Zealand and England scattered throughout the competition.
What has been exciting though is the ongoing development of pathways and this has been clear for teams like the Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels and St George Illawarra Dragons. I'll be keeping an eye on players like Rory Owen, Kasey Reh and Evie McGrath and have no doubt that this investment in pathways will pay off for these teams in coming years.
Next year, the competition will expand again with the Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand Warriors coming in.
This will further dilute the talent pool. In my view clubs like the Canberra Raiders are particularly vulnerable, given the number of New Zealand internationals that feature in that team. The Bulldogs have already been active in the player market, signing Alexis Tauaneai from the Dragons.
After this finals series, I'm hoping the NRL also spend some time thinking seriously about the schedule. From all accounts viewership numbers have been positive, but crowd sizes disappointing.
There's plenty of food for thought for 2025, but for the moment I'm looking forward to another competitive finals series.