Both the Panthers and Knights will be aiming to continue their respective reigns of dominance this coming season, but history shows it only gets more difficult with each given year.
While there's recent precedent for a three-peat in the NRLW – with the Broncos winning the first three editions of the competition – if Penrith are to win again they'll be the first to claim four-straight in the men's premiership since the 1960s.
The NRL.com writers give their take on who is most likely to extend their streak in 2024.
Are the Panthers or Knights more likely to extend their title-winning run in 2024?
Brad Walter: It's been almost 60 years since a team won four in a row in the men's premiership, so history is massively against the Panthers. Then again, no men's team had won a three-peat for 40 years until Penrith came back to beat the Broncos in last season’s decider. What the Panthers have done in the past four years under Ivan Cleary makes them the greatest team of the NRL era, but the salary cap was introduced to prevent the same clubs from dominating year after year and Penrith’s time will come to an end. The NRLW is at a different stage of development, with multi-year contracts only introduced last year and players not yet fulltime, so there is a better chance of keeping a group of stars together for longer. The Knights have also planned well by signing Tamika Upton, Jesse Southwell, Hannah Southwell and Georgia Roche to long term contracts and any team built around players of their calibre will always be premiership contenders.
Southwell basking in back-to-back glory
Colleen Edwards: Right now there's more potential for new teams to challenge in the NRLW than there is in the NRL, while any potential injury to reigning Dally M and Karyn Murphy Medal winner Tamika Upton would be disproportionally felt by a Knights squad who rely heavily on her match-winning plays. The majority of the Panthers' group; have played together for a long time coming through the ranks, with their experience and leadership more evenly distributed. Penrith have everything in place to challenge for a fourth-straight title in 2024.
Corey Rosser: It's the Panthers and the deciding factor has actually got nothing to do with either of the teams mentioned in this question. After falling short of expectations last year – not helped by a rough injury run – I think the Roosters will hit top gear in 2024 prove too much for the Knights in the NRLW. Penrith will have plenty of competition next season too, but I’m not sure there’s an NRL team with a better overall roster than them, which I'd argue the Roosters will have over the Knights in the women's game next year.
Let the celebrations begin
Dan Talintyre: Using a similar frame of thinking to Corey – albeit with a different result in mind – I’m leaning a Knights three-peat here and it’s nothing to do with the Panthers. I simply think Newcastle are at a level that the other NRLW sides aren’t at yet. They’ve got the best player in the game in Tamika Upton, the best young playmaker in Jesse Southwell, a host of international and representative forwards, and a genuine home ground advantage when they play at McDonald Jones Stadium. Newcastle was a clear standout in the NRLW competition last year and despite coach Ronnie Griffiths moving on to NSW Cup commitments, I fancy their chances at repeating their success again in 2024. Georgia Roche will be better for her first year in the competition while their roster appears far more settled than that of the Panthers, who are losing two genuine talents in Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu.
Kelsey Hogan: Despite a couple of high-profile departures, I think the Panthers have retained enough of their star-studded squad to go again in 2024 and I see no reason why they can't be just as potent again this time around. We've seen far too many upsets in the NRLW – with mass player movements meaning team fortunes can change drastically each year – for me to have enough faith in the Knights being the answer here, although they should no doubt head into next season as the favourites.
Martin Lenehan: The loss of Stephen Crichton and Spencer Leniu will hit hard for Penrith, but the nucleus of their champion side remains intact and they look top-four certainties again, which gives them a real shot at a fifth-straight grand final appearance and a premiership four-peat. In the NRLW, the Broncos set the standard with a three-peat in 2018-19-20, so that’s the benchmark the Knights will be striving to achieve. Given the increase in quality year on year in the women’s game you can expect a number of serious challengers to emerge for Newcastle’s title. The defending champs will put up a mighty fight, but a three-peat will elude them.
