CRRL Run Successful KFS Academy

The first instalment of the CRRL’s Katrina Fanning Shield Academy concluded this past week with the program a resounding success in establishing opportunities for local female players.

Established by the CRRL Coach Developer Liam Herbert, alongside consultation with local female players, coaches and managers, the six-week program provided with a minimum of four players from each KFS team the opportunity to upskill their abilities and strengthen the competition.

The first iteration of the Katrina Fanning Shield was in 2017, with the competition continuing to grow and develop year on year and in the process has become a breeding ground for future NRLW players; Krystal Blackwell, Madyson Tooth and Aaliyah Lomas currently featuring in the Canberra Raiders squad.

The players and coaches selected for the academy were selected based on the first five rounds of the season across a wide-ranging criteria.

Across the six weeks from which the program was run, Herbert alongside Rebecca Maher Hill (Queanbeyan Blues), Ian Gorman (Gugahlin Bulls) and Wayne Willison (West Belconnen Warriors) provided training around fitness endurance and core skills, including catch & pass, grip & carry and tackle technique.

“Basing the program around those skills allowed the players to work on the finer details that are used at a high percentage in Rugby League, and apply those learned skills back at their respective clubs,” CRRL Coach Developer Liam Herbert said.

“We also invited in three local coaches from the KFS competition to help assist in running the program with the aim for their respective teams to benefit from head coaches gaining further experience.”

“These coaches were picked based off overall team improvement within the first five rounds of the KFS competition, along with overall attitude.”

West Belconnen Warriors halfback Janiana Ravu attended the entire six-week program and was excited at the prospect to develop her game.

“I was super excited to be selected into the KFS Academy,” Ravu said.

“I first thought that this would be such a great opportunity to develop myself as a player but also get to know other girls within the comp and learn from them.”

Ravu’s initial thoughts were reinforced as the sessions continued with it also providing an understanding of the depth of talent in the competition.

“It became evident to me after the sessions began how there is still so much to learn.”

“It also showed how much talent there is within the comp and it’s super exciting to know that the competition is only going to get stronger by having a program such as the KFS Academy that is designed to further develop skills.” 

A challenge which the program faced was the combination of players from different teams and getting them on the same page, however this was quickly displaced with the environment which was created.

“At first, I was unsure of what the environment would be like, but as we progressed through each session it was very evident that everyone that was there was eager to learn and better themselves.”

For CRRL Coach Developer, the program fulfilled one of his objectives of establishing pathways for players in the region with the opportunity for expansion in the 2027 season already being discussed.

“We want to be able to provide a clear pathway and opportunity for players to not only individually improve, but to take their learnings back to their respective clubs and pass on new knowledge to teammates and other members of the club.”

“Personally, I was happy with how the program ran and how we came together from all different clubs and areas from within our region and bought into what the program was about.”

“It has been a noticeable improvement when watching KFS matches on the weekend, which is a really positive sign that the academy is having a great impact.”

“Moving forward to next year I envision the program will have more training sessions, have more coaches come in and observe, and include a game at the end of the program to wrap it up for its second year.”