The Canberra Raiders are highly likely to be fielding a team for the 2023 NRLW competition, with the club today announcing they will begin the formal application process early next year.

Raiders CEO Don Furner said their application ticks the boxes in terms of facilities, junior registration numbers, finances and being a regional club well poised to develop the women’s game in country NSW.

He said based on the strength of their bid officials have indicated it would be “unusual” for it to denied.

“I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t be getting the licence,” Mr Furner said.

The announcement comes with women’s rugby league continuing to grow throughout the Canberra region.

A Canberra Raiders NRLW pathway would only expand the local women’s game: It would see the local Katrina Fanning Shield competition serve as a talent identification competition for the top-flight team into the future.

Katrina Fanning Shield player Hollie Massey said it would make the local comp “much stronger” and mean local girls won’t have to travel or relocate to Sydney to play at the highest level.

“This talent ID comp as well as the prospect of an NRLW side means that girls who want to stay in the region and keep playing footy here can,” she said.

Former Jillaroos player and Raiders board member, Katrina Fanning, said it would be fitting for Canberra to get a NRLW side in 2023 given the region’s long-standing ties to the women’s game.

“The Jillaroos, the national championships all started out of here,” she said.

“With the legacy of being able to play at the most elite level in green is just a dream come true, and I’m not even going to get to play!”

An inaugural Jillaroo who represented Australia 26 times throughout her 14-year career, Fanning is thrilled by the pathways being established for future generations of women’s footballers.

“For growing regions like ours, we need to make this investment now to make sure we don’t get left behind and that the talent that exists here gets the opportunity to stay at home and play in all those elite pathways.”

Growing up on the NSW south coast, Raiders under-19s Tarsha Gayle Cup player Makayla Morris had few opportunities to play the game she loved growing up; she was forced out of league to play OzTag at age 12.

Having made the sacrifice of moving to Canberra at 17 to pursue football, she’s “very excited” by the prospect of pulling on a green jumper and representing the region in the NRLW.

Growing up and seeing the men play I always wanted to be like that and now that the women are able to do that, it just makes my drive even stronger to keep going.”

“I get goosebumps just thinking about it … just having the opportunity to do this is unbelievable.”

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