Rugby League Mackay & District women's A grade club-by-club preview

One of the strongest regions for producing female rugby league talents will kick off its 2024 competition this weekend.

The Rugby League Mackay & District A grade women's premiership will feature five teams, including Magpies, Brothers and Carltons Devils from Mackay, and teams from further afield in Moranbah and Sarina.

Many of the players involved have played a crucial in the success of the Mackay Cutters, who will play in the BMD Premiership grand final on Saturday just hours after Round 1 of the community competition, won by Brothers in 2023, begins.

Here's how the teams are shaping up going into the 2024 season.

Moranbah Miners

Coach: Jamie McMillan 

Captains: Olivia Hamilton & Rangimarie Edwards-Bruce

Player gains: Lose Mafi, Lisa Hero, Babetha Neilman 

Player losses: Too many to name 

Who is the team to beat in 2024?

Magpies 

What can fans expect from your club in 2024?

A mobile, aggressive team.

Carltons Devils

Coach: Deb Barchard 

Captain: Shania Roberts 

Player gains: Xanthe, Jackie, Sidney Connors 

Player losses: Shaylee Hazledine, Leila Doyle, Shayla Barba. 

Who is the team to beat and why?

Brothers. They are always strong. They’ve played together for years and many train in the Cutters squad. 

What can fans expect from your club in 2024?

Keeping women in the game! We’ve been focusing on bringing players that have stopped playing back to the game rather than chasing major signings from other clubs. We’ve been trying to keep the girls that have drifted away from the sport for various reasons to come back and keep the game alive. 

Sarina Crocodiles

Coaches: James Tapim & Andrew Malayta

Captains: Vanique Malayta & Miranda Davidson (pictured)

Player gains: Leila Murphy-Doyle, Paige Mooney, Malu Auda

Player losses: Emily Bella (Cowboys NRLW)

Who is the team to beat and why?

Brothers have retained a strong, young side with a high contingent of representative level players.

What can fans expect from your club in 2024?

Fans can expect some exciting, skilful league from our women’s side through 2024. We have a mix of new and existing players and have built a strong, healthy culture throughout the pre-season.

Mackay Magpies 

Coach: Brodie Black

Captains: Samantha Cahill and Alofa Apulu (pictured)

Player gains: Alofa Apulu, Ella Cronin-Flanagan, Jacinta Bobongie, Kaylee Zarb, Keeley Pitt, Zaffia Bobongie, Anthea Campbell, Ava Wheeler, Shaylah Barba, Stella Henry, Ella Webb, Jada Cahill

Player losses: Azmin Brice, Adele Ginns, April Albury, Syndee Storey, Mikaela Gee, Tina Hancock, Zoe Cook

Who is the team to beat and why?

Any team on their day will be hard to beat. Brothers have been the benchmark of RLMD for the last 5 years and expect them to be hard to beat this year as well.

What can fans expect from your club in 2024?

A very youthful squad with a good mix of experience. Fast, up tempo footy and a lot of heart shown.

Mackay Brothers 

Coaches: Jamaiah Hutchinson and Imogen Healy 

Captain: Imogen Healy (pictured)

Player gains: Montanah Best and Shaylee Hazeldine 

Player losses: Katie Green 

Who is the team to beat and why?

Sarina. They have the right mix of experienced players and younger talent coming up in key positions.

What can fans expect from your club in 2024?

We hope to deliver consistent, fast paced football that showcases the multitude of talent that we have across the field. The club as a whole is partaking in ongoing skill development and team-building activities as one club that solidifies our cohesion and performance.