From the paddock to the NRLW

With the popularity of women's rugby league growing every year, and with more opportunities for young women to explore rugby league as a career option, it is exciting to see the increasing number of girls playing league. While the competition lists the grades as girls tackle, I prefer to call it what it is: girls rugby league. Girls are permitted to play tackle footy with boys until they reach U13s, but having the chance to develop and play with girls from an early age offers a better opportunity from the outset. There are currently three grades of girls rugby league, with Harden/Boorowa fielding teams in each: U16s, U14s and U12s. Both the U16s and U14s are vying for finals spots with three rounds left to play. The U12s have been playing extremely well; however, this is classified as a development grade rather than a competition, so no results are recorded and no ladder is kept. One U14s player said she loves playing football, enjoys playing with her mates and having fun, and that her goal is to get to the semi-finals this year with her teammates. With two home games left in the regular season, against Junee and Temora, the team is hoping for a strong finish. The enjoyment is clear among the U12s development squad. Harper Mayne enjoys playing with her teammates and taking on different teams, and already has the Sydney Roosters NRLW in her sights. Ivy Corkhill loves the physical side of the game, admitting she loves the thump of a good tackle, and would love to one day play for the Canberra Raiders. Bronte Johnston relishes playing alongside her teammates and hearing the crowd cheering them on, and hopes the Rovers will field a girls tackle team so she can follow in her dad's footsteps before eventually running out for the NRLW Dragons. The strength of the local pathway is reflected in the number of Harden/Boorowa juniors now progressing into the NRLW system. Boorowa Bushrangers junior Isabella Piper spent time with the Canberra Raiders NRLW squad in 2025 as a development player, and has since been named as one of the Raiders' four development players for the 2026 season. The 19-year-old has also represented NSW Country in the Women's Under 19s. Also progressing through the Raiders' junior representative pathway is Eliza Taylor, who lined up for the club in the Tarsha Gale Cup this season. Murringo's Abbie Grant, meanwhile, was named vice-captain of the Penrith Panthers' inaugural women's team, and has featured in the club's NSW Women's Premiership side this season. Perhaps the standout example of the pathway on offer is Harden's own Grace Kemp. A rugby union convert, Kemp grew up in Harden, where her dad and brothers played for the Harden Red Devils, before switching codes to sign with the Canberra Raiders' inaugural NRLW squad in 2023, having previously represented the Wallaroos and played at the Rugby World Cup as an ACT Brumbies Super W player. Her rise since has been rapid. Ten months after her NRLW debut, Kemp was named to make her State of Origin debut for the NSW Sky Blues, and she has since added Indigenous All Stars selection to her honours. She re-signed with the Raiders on a two-year deal in December, and continues to represent club and country. And in a sign of just how far the pathway can lead, Harden-born Tara McGrath-West went on to play NRLW for the Brisbane Broncos. She now works as a rural development officer between seasons, and returned to Harden earlier this year for a League Stars tag day, where local children got the chance to meet her.