Newcastle Knights Women
The Newcastle Knights Women are an Australian rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales. The team is part of the Newcastle Knights club and competes in the National Rugby League Women's Premiership. The team's home ground is McDonald Jones Stadium. The team has won two premierships over its history.
History
On 11 June 2021, the Newcastle Knights were granted a licence to compete in the 2021 National Rugby League Women's (NRLW) competition. Recently retired Knights player Blake Green was announced as the head coach. The season was planned to commence in August 2021, postponed to October 2021 and further postponed to 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.On 1 July 2021, the Knights announced their first ever NRLW signing in Indigenous All Stars and Prime Minister's XIII representative Caitlan Johnston-Green, who was a foundation Tarsha Gale Cup player for the Knights in 2018 before spending two seasons with the Sydney Roosters NRLW side.
On 25 November 2021, it was announced that Knights Tarsha Gale Cup coach Casey Bromilow would be taking on the head coach role after Green had been appointed into a specialist halves role alongside Andrew Johns with Newcastle's NRL side. Jess Skinner was announced as the assistant coach. On the same day, the Knights announced a further six Newcastle and Hunter based signings in Bobbi Law from the Sydney Roosters, Jayme Fressard from the Brisbane Broncos and Georgia Page from the St. George Illawarra Dragons, as well as Phoebe Desmond, Chantelle Graham and Kyra Simon from local teams. Six development players were also announced in Bree Chester, Sophie Clancy, Matilda Jones, Kayla Romaniuk, Jesse Southwell and Tylah Vallance.
On 1 December 2021, the Knights signed nine Kiwi Ferns representatives in Ngatokotoru Arakua, Maitua Feterika, Annetta Nu'uausala, Charntay Poko, Krystal Rota, Charlotte Scanlan, Autumn-Rain Stephens-Daly, Katelyn Vaha'akolo and Kararaina Wira-Kohu, Two days later, the club signed Romy Teitzel from the Brisbane Broncos, AFLW player Paige Parker, rugby sevens player Emma Sykes and North Queensland Gold Stars players Rangimarie Edwards-Bruce, Katie Green, Emma Manzelmann and Tahlulah Tillett.
In January 2022, the Knights signed Kirra Dibb from the New Zealand Warriors after Emma Sykes withdrew from the squad. On 21 February, the 24-woman squad was finalised with the signing of Shannon Evans from the Central Coast Roosters and Romy Teitzel was named team captain, Caitlan Johnston-Green and Krystal Rota named as club captains.
The club played in 5 matches without a win in its inaugural season.
In April 2022, Ronald Griffiths was announced as the new head coach for the upcoming season.
On 18 May 2022, the Knights announced the signing of Australian Jillaroos players Millie Boyle and Tamika Upton for their second season in the competition. Additional notable signings for the 2022 season were Sydney Roosters premiership winning players Yasmin Clydsdale, Olivia Higgins, Simone Karpani, Tayla Predebon, Hannah Southwell, former Jillaroos player Caitlin Moran and former Roosters players Shanice Parker and Kiana Takairangi.
On 16 August 2022, Millie Boyle and Hannah Southwell were appointed co-captains of the club.
After winning 4 of its 5 regular season games, the Knights won their first premiership during the 2022 NRL Women's season, defeating the Parramatta Eels 32–12.
First Team
The first ever Newcastle Knights team who played the Parramatta Eels on the 27th February 2022 at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Parramatta Eels won the match 13-12.Premiership Winning Teams
The Newcastle Knights premiership winning teams from the 2022 and 2023 NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final.2022 Grand Final v Parramatta Eels
FULLTIME SCORE: Newcastle Knights 32 def Parramatta Eels 12 at Accor Stadium, 2nd October 2022
2023 Grand Final v Gold Coast Titans
FULLTIME SCORE: Newcastle Knights 24 def Gold Coast Titans 18 at Accor Stadium, 1st October 2023
Players of the Year
The Newcastle Knights player of the year award winners since 2021.| Name | Year |
| 2021 | |
| & | 2022 |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 |
Seasons
2026 Draw
The draw for the 2026 season was announced on 14 November 2025.Head-to-head records
NotesShare % is the percentage of points For over the sum of points For and Against.- Clubs listed in the order than the Knights Women first played them.
- Last updated: 7 November 2025
Coaches
Captains
All players that have captained the Newcastle Knights Women's in first-grade.| Cap No. | Name | Years As Captain | Debut Round | Games As Captain | Games for Club |
| 1. | 2021 | Round 1 | 5 | 12 | |
| 2. | 2022 | Round 1 | 7 | 7 | |
| 3. | 2022-24 | Round 1 | 19 | 19 | |
| 4. | 2023 | Round 1 | 3 | 26 | |
| 5. | 2025-present | Round 1 | 13 | 41 |
Players
2026 Gains and Losses
| Player | 2025 Club |
| Ella-Jaye Harrison Leaunoa | Ipswich Jets |
| Kirra Dibb | Cowboys |
| Cheyelle Robins-Reti | Raiders |
| Nakia Davis-Welsh | Sharks |
| Player | 2026 Club |
| Jesse Southwell | Brisbane Broncos |
| Leilani Ah Sam | Released |
| Grace Kukutai | Canberra Raiders |
| Leah Ollerton | Tigers |
| Viena Tinao | Released |
| Sheridan Gallagher | Canberra Raiders |
| Keighley Simpson | Sydney Roosters |
| Player | Year Off Contract |
| Olivia Higgins | 2026 |
| Tiana Davison | 2027 |
| Jules Kirkpatrick | 2027 |
| Sienna Yeo | 2027 |
| Lilly-Ann White | 2027 |
| Player |
| Joeli Morris |
| Kayla Romaniuk |
| Olivia Higgins |
| Tayla Predebon |
Club records
Win Loss Record since entering the NRLW in 2021| Games | Wins | Drawn | Loss | Points For | Points Against | +/- | Win % |
| 46 | 30 | 0 | 16 | 1,030 | 780 | +250 | 65.22 |
First Try and Last Try
Who scored the first try and most recent try for the Knights.| Name | Round | Opponent | Venue | Year |
| Round 1 | Parramatta Eels | McDonald Jones Stadium | 2021 | |
| Preliminary Final | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 2025 |
Individual records
Career
Lists and tables last updated: 28 September 2025.Most Games for the Knights
| Player | Games |
| 1. Yasmin Meakes | 41 |
| 1. Shanice Parker | 41 |
| 2. Olivia Higgins | 40 |
| 2. Jesse Southwell | 40 |
| 3. Tayla Predebon | 39 |
| 4. Kayla Romaniuk | 36 |
| 5. Sheridan Gallagher | 32 |
| 6. Georgia Roche | 31 |
| 7. Simone Karpani | 27 |
| 8. Tamika Upton | 26 |
| 9. Abigail Roache | 20 |
| 10. Hannah Southwell | 19 |
| 10. Tenika Willison | 19 |
Most Tries for the Knights
| Player | Tries |
| 1. Sheridan Gallagher | 25 |
| 2. Tamika Upton | 19 |
| 3. Olivia Higgins | 13 |
| 4. Shanice Parker | 11 |
| 4. Yasmin Meakes | 11 |
| 5. Abigail Roache | 9 |
| 6. Georgia Roche | 7 |
| 6. Tayla Predebon | 7 |
| 6. Jesse Southwell | 7 |
| 7. Kayla Romaniuk | 6 |
| 8. Romy Teitzel | 5 |
| 9. Caitlan Johnston-Green | 4 |
| 9. Evah McEwen | 4 |
| 9. Keighley Simpson | 4 |
Most Goals for the Knights
| Player | Goals |
| 1. | 102 |
| 2. | 19 |
| 3. | 7 |
| 4. | 4 |
| 5. | 2 |
Most points for the Knights
| Player | 2025 Club | Points | ||||
| 1. | 40 | 7 | 102 | 0 | 232 | |
| 2. | 32 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 114 | |
| 3. | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 | |
| 4. | 40 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 52 | |
| 5. | 41 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 | |
| 5. | 40 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 | |
| 6. | 12 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 42 | |
| 7. | 20 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 | |
| 7. | 31 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 36 |
Most points in a game
Most Tries in a game
Most Goals in a game
Most Tries in a Season for the Knights
| Player | Season | Tries |
| 1. | 2024 | 9 |
| 1. | 2025 | 9 |
| 2. | 2023 | 7 |
| 2. | 2023 | 7 |
| 2. | 2024 | 7 |
| 3. | 2023 | 6 |
| 3. | 2023 | 6 |
| 4. | 2022 | 5 |
Most points in a season
| Player | Season | Points | ||||
| 1. Jesse Southwell | 2025 | 13 | 2 | 41 | 0 | 90 |
| 2. Jesse Southwell | 2023 | 11 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 78 |
| 3. Jesse Southwell | 2024 | 9 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 44 |
| 4. Sheridan Gallagher | 2024 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 42 |
| 5. Sheridan Gallagher | 2025 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 5. Sheridan Gallagher | 2023 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 36 |
| 6. Kirra Dibb | 2022 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 34 |
| 7. Tamika Upton | 2023 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Dally M Winners
| Name | Year |
| 2023 |
Season
Most PointsMost Tries
Match
Most Points- Jesse Southwell 16 vs. Gold Coast Titans
- Sheridan Gallagher 3 vs. Gold Coast Titans
- Lilly-Ann White 3 vs. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
- Keighley Simpson 3 vs. St. George Illawarra Dragons
Oldest and youngest players
The oldest and youngest players to represent the Newcastle Knights NRLW team.| Name | Age | Year |
| 36 and 168 days | 2022 | |
| 17 and 189 days | 2022 |
Margins and streaks
Biggest winning margin| Margin | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date | - |
| 36 | 46–10 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 14 September 2024 | - |
| 34 | 38-4 | Parramatta Eels | Eric Tweedale Stadium | 06 August 2023 | - |
| 32 | 38-6 | North Queensland Cowboys | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | 21 September 2024 | - |
| 28 | 34-6 | Wests Tigers | McDonald Jones Stadium | 01 September 2024 | - |
| 24 | 30-6 | Wests Tigers | McDonald Jones Stadium | 09 August 2025 | - |
| 24 | 30-6 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Suncorp Stadium | 25 September 2022 | 2022 Semi Final |
| 24 | 30-6 | Parramatta Eels | Eric Tweedale Stadium | 27 July 2025 | - |
| 22 | 30-8 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Central Coast Stadium | 18 September 2022 | - |
| 20 | 32-12 | Parramatta Eels | Accor Stadium | 2 October 2022 | 2022 Grand Final |
| 20 | 28-8 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 14 September 2023 | - |
| 20 | 26-6 | North Queensland Cowboys | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | 12 July 2025 | - |
| 20 | 36-16 | Parramatta Eels | Eric Tweedale Stadium | 24 August 2024 | - |
Biggest losing margin
| Margin | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date | - |
| 36 | 4–40 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | McDonald Jones Stadium | 20 March 2022 | - |
| 30 | 16-46 | Brisbane Broncos | McDonald Jones Stadium | 24 August 2025 | - |
| 24 | 6-30 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 28 September 2025 | 2025 Preliminary Final |
| 18 | 10-28 | Brisbane Broncos | WIN Stadium | 06 March 2022 | - |
| 16 | 12-28 | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Cricket Ground | 12 March 2022 | - |
| 16 | 14-30 | Sydney Roosters | Polytec Stadium | 17 August 2025 | - |
| 14 | 12-26 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Accor Stadium | 04 July 2025 | - |
| 11 | 20-31 | North Queensland Cowboys | Belmore Sports Ground | 30 July 2023 | - |
| 9 | 16-25 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 29 Sept 2024 | 2024 Semi Final |
| 8 | 10-18 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | McDonald Jones Stadium | 11 Aug 2024 | - |
Most consecutive wins
- 11 –
- 5 –
- Recovered from 12 point deficit.
- Trailed Brisbane Broncos 4-16 after 57 minutes at McDonald Jones Stadium on August 20 2023 and won 22-20.
- Trailed St George Illawarra Dragons 4-16 after 34 minutes at McDonald Jones Stadium on September 14 2025 and won 30-22.
- Surrendered 14 point lead
- Led Brisbane Broncos 18-4 after 46 minutes at McDonald Jones Stadium on September 8 2024 and lost 24-32
- Led Cronulla Sharks 18-4 after 61 minutes at Sharks Stadium on August 31 2025 and lost 18-19.
| Margin | Score | Opponent | Venue | Date |
| 1 | 1213 | Parramatta Eels | McDonald Jones Stadium | 27 Feb 2022 |
Representative honours
National team representatives
| Player | Country | International Debut | |||
| 22 Jul 2023 | 25 Jun 2022 | 2023 | |||
| 6 Mar 2022 | 5 May 2017 | 2022 | |||
| 27 Feb 2022 | 8 Jul 2013 | 2022 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 2 Nov 2022 | 20222025 | |||
| 4 Sep 2022 | 21 Oct 2023 | 2023, 2025 | |||
| 7 Sep 2025 | 25 Oct 2025 | 2025 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 18 Oct 2024 | 20242025 | |||
| 27 Feb 2022 | 2 Nov 2022 | 20222023 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 19 Oct 2024 | 20242025 | |||
| 22 Jul 2023 | 15 Oct 2023 | 2023 | |||
| 21 Sep 2024 | 19 Oct 2024 | 2024 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 2 Nov 2022 | 20222025 | |||
| 22 Jul 2023 | 10 Nov 2022 | 20232024 | |||
| 6 Aug 2023 | 27 Oct 2018 | 2023, 2025 | |||
| 27 Feb 2022 | 3 May 2015 | 2022 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 26 Oct 2025 | 2025 | |||
| 27 Feb 2022 | 25 Jun 2022 | 2022 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 2 Nov 2022 | 2022 | |||
| 14 Sep 2025 | 19 Oct 2024 | 2025 | |||
| 22 Jul 2023 | 10 Nov 2024 | 2024 | |||
| 21 Aug 2022 | 14 Oct 2023 | 20232024 | |||
| 27 Feb 2022 | 25 Jun 2022 | 2022 | |||
| 20 Mar 2022 | 25 Jun 2022 | 2022 |
Notes:
- International Debut dates in bold indicate that the player made her first international appearance prior to playing for the Newcastle Knights NRLW team.
- Tiana Davison represented New Zealand in 2024 as well as 2023 and 2025 but had played the 2024 season with the Sydney Roosters.
Women's State of Origin representatives
Past and current players that have played for Queensland and New South Wales in the State of Origin.| Player | State | Year |
| New South Wales | 20232025 | |
| New South Wales | 2022 | |
| New South Wales | 2024 | |
| New South Wales | 20222024 | |
| New South Wales | 2023, 2025 | |
| Queensland | 20232024 |
Prime Minister's XIII representatives
Past and current players that have been selected to play in the Prime Minister's XIII.| Player | Year |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 |