Jillaroos coach Brad Donald will have a 40-player World Cup train-on squad prepared for anything in 2021 following the disruption that came last year.
Preparations for the defending champions will begin in Kingscliff on Friday afternoon. A bumper women s schedule is expected to be released by the NRL in the coming weeks.
The three-day training camp will be the first get-together for the group ahead of the bid to retain their World Cup trophy in the United Kingdom.
The easing of state border restrictions between Queensland and NSW last month was welcome news for Donald, with all players now able to attend the camp.
Commitment and sacrifice have been the cornerstones of female rugby league for decades but in 2020 the part-time and semi-professional athletes were truly put to the test.
After fears the NRL Telstra Women s Premiership and Harvey Norman State of Origin event wouldn t go ahead in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NRL officials ended that talk with confirmation of a 2020 season.
The next step was to ensure coaches and support staff could get players onto the field given the challenges created by COVID-19. Then the players had to agree to the strict biosecurity measures in place.
From international and state border closures across Australia and New Zealand that would force 14-day quarantining in some cases, to players filling out pre-screen forms that detailed their everyday movements for up to three months.