NRLW stars believe Vegas Combine can unearth US talent

Sydney Roosters star Brydie Parker has urged American athletes to follow a similar path to the one that led her to the NRLW by signing up for March’s NRL Rugby League Combine in Las Vegas.

To be held on the day of the historic NRL double-header at Allegiant Stadium, the NFL-style Combine will feature 25 male and 25 female athletes from North America taking part in a series of physical testing and skills assessment.

After the Combine, two male and two female athletes with the potential to play in the NRL or NRLW will be offered the opportunity to train with an elite team in Australia and showcase their talents to clubs.

Parker was signed by the Roosters – one of four NRL clubs playing in Las Vegas on March 2 - after going through a similar process for aspiring NRLW players at a Talent ID ahead of the inaugural season of the women’s premiership in 2018.

The 24-year-old had represented Australia in Rugby 7s at the Youth Commonwealth Games but had no previous rugby league experience and believes American athletes could also make a smooth transition to the NRLW.  

“The Talent ID was a great thing that the NRL put on to try and find talent to fill those teams for the new competition and it allowed me to put myself on show, I guess,” Parker said.

“With the number of NRLW teams continuing to grow, we need to keep growing the talent pool and that is exactly what the NRL are doing by scouting talent from different countries.

“It gives those female and male players an opportunity to see if they enjoy our game but also for the NRL to unearth some amazing athletes.

“There is definitely a lot of skills and attributes that cross over to our code, so the correlation between other sports and our game is huge, and we have seen so many players come across from other sports and thrive.”

Brisbane Broncos winger Julia Robinson is among the NRLW players who have come from other sports and the former netballer went from selection in the Australian Defence Force team to representing Australia within 12 months in 2018.

Robinson’s Broncos team-mate Ashleigh Werner was an Australian Olympic bobsledder, while Newcastle Knights winger Sheridan Gallagher won an NRLW premiership just a year after captaining the Young Matildas in 2022.

“Obviously you have got the rugby union girls coming over but this year we had a bobsledder who played her first NRLW season and there are players from other sports,” Robinson said.

“Netball was my main sport growing up, but I loved all sports, and I had the opportunity to play for ADF team in the National Championships, when they were scoping out NRLW players.

“[Jillaroos coaching staff members] Jamie Feeney and Simon Buxton came to one of our training sessions because my coach had contacted them and said, ‘there’s a girl here who you might want to have a look at’.

“From that I got picked up, so it happened very quickly for me, and I think if you are willing to learn and train hard there is a high chance you can make it.”

Athletes will undergo interviews and medicals before the Combine. They will then be tested for:

• 20m sprint
• medicine ball throw
• bench press
• broad jump
• 1.2km bronco

After taking part in a tackle ready coaching session, participants will undergo a series of skill assessments for:

• kicking and catching
• evasion
• passing
• tackling

The Combine will finish with the athletes playing in 6 v 6 games.

“In the Talent ID, we did all the testing that the Jillaroos do, so they could compare our results,” said Parker, who now works for the RLPA as a player operations manager.

“They had a selector from each of the NRLW clubs there so there was a lot of eyes on us, and the exciting thing is that the competition is continuing to grow so the opportunities in our game here in Australia are immense.

“I still follow the Rugby 7s and the American athletes are just so strong and so competitive, so to have some of those girls in our game and continuing to help our game grow would be immense.”