It doesn’t seem that long ago that Sam Bremner was leading the Dragons out as the club’s inaugural NRLW skipper.
Back in 2018, it was hard to know exactly what the coming years would look like for the NRL’s newly introduced Women’s Premiership and women’s rugby league as a whole.
But, as the sport continues its rapid growth both professionally and at the grassroots level, Bremner is psyched to still be on the bullet train that is women’s rugby league.
Having hung up the boots following the Roosters’ Grand Final win in October, the Helensburgh junior is revelling in being back home in her new role as Female Football Manager.
“It’s a good word ‘home’ because that’s exactly how it felt from day one walking back in here,” Bremner said.
“It’s that sense of belonging and familiar faces that I’ve enjoyed the most… These girls actually are part of history. These girls are so eager to become better footballers, but I think that something they probably don’t realise is that they actually are a part of history right now and it won’t be until they look back on it that they do realise it. It’s that balance also of appreciating the players that have come before them but also understanding and being motivated about what’s ahead. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of the female game. Every year that goes by, there’s something new and it’s an exciting time to be on that ride.”
Bremner’s appointment was the first domino in somewhat of an overhaul of the club’s NRLW program with Nathan Cross announced as the side’s Head Coach a month later.
“It’s been great to work alongside him. Sometimes, someone can be really good on paper and even in interviews, but you might come face-to-face and start working together and realise that maybe your philosophies aren’t the same, but Crossy and I are so well aligned,” she said.
“Even if we have differences in opinions, we’re very willing to sit down and hear each other out and I think that’s how we work really well. We’re very open to hearing each other’s point of view, whether that’s on staff, whether that’s on the environment, whether that’s on the type of players we need, and I think there’s a mutual respect between the both of us. I know what he’s done in the female space but also in rugby league, so I respect that, and I want him to bring that here. We’re also people that are very big on our actions. The girls ask us for things, and we get on it straight away and we act accordingly, and you know we ask the girls to lead by their examples, but we also wish to do the same. He’s been an awesome asset to not just our team, but our club.”
Filling out the squad for the upcoming season has been the priority for Bremner and Cross throughout the time they have been at the club.
Bremner, who has a World Cup, State of Origin series, and NRLW premiership to her name, knows what success looks like and has taken the lessons she has learnt as a player into her squad-building approach.
The club announced earlier this month that Hannah Southwell, Grace Hamilton, Pia Tapsell, Ahlivia Ingram and Jayme Millard would be joining the squad for 2025.
“The most important thing for us is nurturing our own backyard, but that the girls that we also bring in really make sure they understand the value that they hold in this space,” she said.
“I know Grace and I played a lot of football with and against Hannah and I knew that’s exactly what we needed here. With Liv, Pia, and Jayme as well, we really appreciated the types of players and people that they are. We really appreciate they’re very open, honest communicators, but have really high standards and expectations of themselves, so the standards have naturally really lifted, and I think that’s because we've placed key people with that type of mindset in those roles. We made sure we listened to both the club and the players about what we needed and also what we observed and then did what we could to plug those holes.”
“The most important thing for us is nurturing our own backyard, but that the girls that we also bring in really make sure they understand the value that they hold in this space”
Bremner knows as well as anyone the strength of the club’s pathways system and stresses the importance of nurturing the talent within the club’s catchment.
“We’ve got the biggest catchment in terms of pathways in Australia, so we would be really silly not to nurture that and bring them on this journey with us,” she said.
“That’s certainly where we’re looking at first is in our own backyard and making sure that we offer opportunities to any girls we think will be able to make the most of this NRLW opportunity.”
Continuing to strengthen that connection between the pathways system and the topflight squad as well as the club as a whole is an area that Bremner and Cross have homed in on over the past few months.
“We’ve focused on really getting good characters into this squad, both staff and players. I think Crossy’s done a really good job in such a short time of connecting the team so quickly,” she said.
“Connection is about aligning our values and supporting each other. The best teams that I’ve been a part of have been so connected. I think in order to perform at a high standard for me and these girls, a connection to community is really important. I’m so lucky that I was born and bred in this area so that I feel that way when I walk back in these gates, but it’s also something that I really want all of these girls to feel a connection to this jersey and community.”
