As the number of women playing rugby league nation-wide continues to grow, NRL Victoria has announced it will send a squad of young players to Sydney in January for a seven-day women's development tournament.
The Victorian side will face teams from New South Wales Rugby League's Tarsha Gale Cup U18 competition in a series of trial matches from January 12 – 19.
NRL Victoria Female Participation Coordinator Mitchell Kurtz said almost 50 young women had pushed for a spot on the squad.
"We had 45 girls registered at the trials and we selected a squad of 20 to travel, along with five shadow players," Kurtz said.
"They will play trial matches against the Newcastle Knights, Wests Tigers and St George Dragons over seven days from Saturday to Saturday.
"These girls have all played at local level in NRL Victoria competitions and this will be a great opportunity for them to develop under coach Joanne Manuel.
"Anyone is welcome to come along and watch."
The NRL announced in September female participation remains the strongest growth area for the game, with around 16,337 women and girls playing in NSW alone.
The development squad will be donning the colours synonymous with rugby league in Victoria – navy, white and grey, with a splash of the iconic Storm purple.
