The 2025 NRLW season is upon us and it should be bigger and better than ever with the competition expanding to 12 teams with New Zealand returning to the premiership and Canterbury joining the premiership. We have seen a lot of player movement with Tamika Upton returning to the Broncos while the Dragons enter with a new coach with Nathan Cross taking the reins.
Tamika Upton’s return to Brisbane puts the Broncos back in premiership calculations as they chase their first Grand Final berth since 2020, the year they won their third straight premiership. The Broncos surprised a touch last year when finishing top, finishing the regular season with seven straight wins. Upton gives the Broncos some much-needed speed and is a huge upgrade over Hayley Maddick. Upton picked up an injury in Origin II and could miss the start of the season. There are also concerns with the aging Ali Brigginshaw at halfback. The Broncos should be finishing well inside the Top 6 but they seem very short in premiership betting.
Best Buy: Tamika Upton (Newcastle)
Worst Loss: Stacey Waaka (rugby union)
2024 Season Result: 7-2 (1st, lost semi-final)
Prediction: 2nd
Top Tryscorer: Julia Robinson
Best Bet: No Bet
It is stunning to see the Raiders black odds to play finals football this year with the club looking to be on an upwards trajectory. Canberra have a very strong core centred around Simaima Taufa and Zahara Temara with plenty of stars including Madison Bartlett and new recruit Leianne Tufuga. The Raiders finished over a full win short of their true win number last year and with a young roster should see some natira
Best Buy: Leianne Tufuga (Wests Tigers)
Worst Loss: Apii Nicholls (New Zealand)
2024 Season Result: 3-6 (7th)
Prediction: 4th
Top Tryscorer: Leianne Tufuga
Best Bet: Top 6 @ $2.25
Canterbury make their NRLW debut this season and look to be a much more dubious proposition than the fourth-line-of-betting hope the market has them as. It has been a wretched offseason with inaugural coach Blake Cavalarro resigning in January before a three-month search found rookie coach Brayden Williame. The recruitment has not set the world on fire either with a few big-name Sharks set to join a host of rookies and finge NRLW types. Severe unders and a huge lay to miss the Top 6.
Best Buy: Holli Wheeler (Cronulla)
Worst Loss: n/a
2024 Season Result: Inaugural season
Prediction: 9th
Top Tryscorer: Maatuleio Fotu-Moala
Best Bet: No Bet
There is no doubting that the Sharks have one of the better rosters despite some big-name losses. A team that includes stars Emma Veran, Tiana Penitani, Annessa Biddle, Ellie Johnston and Quincy Dodd, among others, has added Caitlan Johnston (who will miss this season due to pregnancy), Tyla King and Chantay Kira-Ratu. They have easily accounted for the players lost to the Bulldogs. The concern has been the underachievement under Tony Herman. Both of their seasons have been disappointments despite a Grand Final showing last year. Cronulla have the upside to win it all but suspect they will shoot themselves in the foot plenty in 2025.
Best Buy: Caitlan Johnston-Green (Newcastle)
Worst Loss: Holli Wheeler (Canterbury)
2024 Season Result: 6-3 (4th, lost Grand Final)
Prediction: 5th
Top Tryscorer: Georgia Ravics
Best Bet: No Bet
The big concern for the Titans this year heading into their fifth NRLW season with stars Evania Pelite and Shannon Mato both set to miss the year due to pregnancy. Pelite is an out-and-out star while Mato is arguably the best prop in the game. There is still plenty of talent on the Gold Coast with Jaime Chapman likely to shift to fullback, Lauren Brown a long-time rep player and a pack that includes Georgia Hale, Jessika Elliston and Shaylee Bent. The Titans have made the playoffs in two of their four years with a 2023 losing Grand Final in their resume but with the two big outs the Titans may just be a step short.
Best Buy: Pauline Piliae-Rasabale (Wests Tigers)
Worst Loss: Karina Brown (Retired)
2024 Season Result: 3-6 (8th)
Prediction: 7th
Top Tryscorer: Jaime Chapman
Best Bet: No Bet
The 2025 season shapes as a seminal one for the Knights as they adjust to life after the departure of Tamika Upton. After claiming the wooden spoon in their debut season, the Knights won two premierships and reached the semis in the ensuing three years, going 22-6 over that period. Can the Knights survive not only the departure of Upton but a slew of big names including Caitlan Johnston, Hannah Southwell and Abigail Roache. Even though they finished third on the ladder last year, the Knights undershot their true win number. They have recruited well. Given what they have built, they look to be being disrespected in betting.
Best Buy: Tiana Davison (Sydney Roosters)
Worst Loss: Tamika Upton (Brisbane)
2024 Season Result: 2-7 (10th)
Prediction: 3rd
Top Tryscorer: Sheridan Gallagher
Best Bet: Top 6 @ $2.00
There is no harder team to assess heading into the NRLW season than the Warriors as they return to the NRLW for the first time since 2020. The Warriors went 4-5 in their three-year run with an inability to score points the biggest concern. The Warriors certainly could not have made a better coaching hire than signing Ronald Griffiths, who won two premierships in his two seasons as a head coach with the Knights. The concern is the lack of NRLW experience. The Warriors have filled their squad with former rugby union games with just nine players having player in the premiership previously. Just four players have played 10 games. The Warriors have the building blocks for success but things will take time.
Best Buy: Apii Nicholls (Canberra)
Worst Loss: n/a
2024 Season Result: Did not play in 2024
Prediction: 10th
Top Tryscorer: Patricia Maliepo
Best Bet: Most Losses @ $11.00
The Cowboys have not posted a winning season in their two years in the NRLW and even with some potential improvement, they look no better than a mid-tier team and one that likely doesn’t push them into the playoffs. There are some bright spots. Jakiya Whitfeld is one of the best wingers in the competition. Kira Dibb is one of the more reliable halves. Abigail Roache was a nice pickup. Jasmine Peters, Talisha Harden and Emma Manzelmann are all quality players. It is depth that is the issue and that is the concern.
Best Buy: Abigail Roache (Newcastle)
Worst Loss: Harata Butler (New Zealand)
2024 Season Result: 4-5 (6th)
Prediction: 8th
Top Tryscorer: Jakiya Whitfeld
Best Bet: No Bet
The Parramatta roster looks incredibly thin and even after their first winning season in their four in the NRLW, there looks little room for improvement. Last year’s 5-4 record was not really representative of where the team was at with the Eels overshooting their true win number by over a victory. They had just a single win over a Top 4 team while they suffered three losses by 14 or more. Top tryscorer Monique Donovan is out while star Kennedy Cherrington will miss the start of the season. The Eels are headed backwards this year and a second wooden spoon is not out of the reckoning.
Best Buy: Martha Mataele (rugby union)
Worst Loss: Monique Donovan (release)
2024 Season Result: 5-4 (5th)
Prediction: 11th
Top Tryscorer: Rory Owen Best Bet: Most Losses @ $9.00
Moving on Jamie Soward was the right decision for a Dragons side that severely underachieved in 2024. While the roster did lack depth, a team with Teagan Berry and Raecene McGregor should not be finishing with just two wins. No team undershot their real win number more than the Dragons, who finished 1.41 wins behind their true win number. Last season was tough with injury led by Margot Vella being restricted to just two games. The club recruited well, adding toughness in veteran forward Hannah Southwell. There is also a lot of young talent coming through with Ella Koster playing well last season, Kasey Reh now having a year under her belt and Indie Bostock likely to debut. Expecting sharp improvement in 2025.
Best Buy: Hannah Southwell (Newcastle)
Worst Loss: Tyla King (Cronulla)
2024 Season Result: 2-7 (9th)
Prediction: 6th
Top Tryscorer: Teagan Berry
Best Bet: Top 6 @ $2.75
There is no better team in the competition on paper than the Sydney Roosters. They have more talent than any other team. They are the best coached team in the NRLW. They have lost just four of 23 regular season games over the last three seasons, topping 220 points with their electric attack in each of them. The Roosters’ backline is something to behold, led by Tarryn Aiken with the likes of Kelly, Sergis and Fressard outside of her. The pack is arguably more intimidating, led by Olivia Kernick and featuring the likes of Keeley Davis and Amber Hall. The Roosters are the best value bet to win the minor premiership and premiership this year.
Best Buy: Rima Butler (Newcastle)
Worst Loss: Sam Bremner (retired)
2024 Season Result: 7-2 (2nd, Premiers)
Prediction: 1st
Top Tryscorer: Jayme Fressard
Best Bet: Grand Final Winner @ $3.50
The Wests Tigers are an abhorrent 4-14 in their two seasons in the NRLW and enter this season losing their best player in Leianne Tufuga and top pointscorer Pauline Piliae-Rasabale. Things are not going to improve with the addition of Emily Bass the only positive in a wretched offseason. No team is more talent-deficient and it was surprising that Brett Kimmorley was retained as head coach. Kezie Apps and Sarah Togatuki don’t know how to take a backward step but there is just no class around them to make a run up the ladder.
Best Buy: Emily Bass (Gold Coast)
Worst Loss: Leianne Tufuga (Canberra)
2024 Season Result: 2-7 (10th)
Prediction: 12th
Top Tryscorer: Emily Bass
Best Bet: Most Losses @ $3.00