'Long time coming': Butcher Birds take flight in new-look women's league

The 21-year-old hooker will captain Central Newcastle as they step into an important era for women's rugby league with the new competition set to play a vital role on the pathway to the Newcastle Knights and NRLW.

"There's been a lot of people working really hard behind the scenes for years for us girls to be able to come in and play," Morris said.

"Our good friend, mentor and old coach Rebecca Young has been an integral part of why Newcastle Rugby League is where it's at for women.

"It's been a long time coming but we're very grateful to be in the position that we're in because people in Aunty Bec's generation didn't get it."

Central halfback Tamika Bull, 22, is among a number of players in the Knights' NSW Women's Premiership squad, which underpins the NRLW team, which will use the competition in preparation for its upcoming season.

"It's a great opportunity for us to get seen and it's a good pathway for the junior girls," Bull said.

"We can facilitate a lot more spectators and we get videoed every game now, so we can use that for feedback."

The Knights will use the seven-team, 16-round competition as a vital stepping stone for the development of their Tarsha Gale Cup (under 19) players.

Knights' Tarsha Gale Cup prop Elizabeth Montgomery, a multi-sport talent with a background in rugby union and AFL, has only been playing rugby league for three months.

The 17-year-old was part of the Knights side which played in the Tarsha Gale Cup grand final last weekend and is also in Central's squad.

The forward plans to glean as much as she can from the experienced players around her.

"It will be great just to get a proper season under my belt," Montgomery said.

"That will help me progress in league. I've got a lot of support from coaching at Tarsha this year, and becoming a starting prop was something I worked hard for.

"But being here, I just hope to learn and to understand league a bit better.

"I would love to play NRLW one day. I've grown up watching the Knights and now, the fact that they've got a women's team that is so successful and has such amazing players, I would love to go on and do something like that."

Central open their season against Wests at Cessnock Sportsground on Sunday (12.15pm).

Morris said players had come from far and wide to play in Newcastle Rugby League.

"We've had girls come from Young, Bathurst, Quirindi to Newcastle because the level of footy here is at a certain standard," Morris said.

"We're a young team. We've got lots of great individual talent, so it will just be able gelling as a team. But it's very exciting."

Knights NRLW coach Ben Jeffries will be a keen spectator throughout the Newcastle competition, which will culminate in a grand final at McDonald Jones Stadium on September 22.

"The Tarsha Gale girls' skill level should be well-equipped for women's football and that's where they can develop," Jeffries said.

"Someone who doesn't get signed out of Tarsha Gale is trying to aspire to get into Harvey Norman [NSW Women's Premiership], and basically playing [Newcastle Rugby League] is the best thing for them.

"With Harvey Norman players, if they don't play Harvey Norman, they'll go back to their clubs. We've tried to work with the local footy to try to streamline it as much as possible, to make sure that it underpins Harvey Norman and Harvey Norman underpins NRLW.

"It's going to make the competition stronger, which makes the pathway stronger."

Raymond Terrace play Wyong at Morry Breen Oval on Saturday (10.45am) in the other first-round game while Lakes United, Maitland and Souths all have byes.