NRLW player Annette Brander has been signed with the Gold Coast Titans, following a break due to injury, making it her second NRLW team since Beerwah.
The forward said she had a mix of emotions after missing the 2021 season, which would have been played with her former team the Brisbane Broncos.
“I’ve got mixed emotions, I’m super excited to have the opportunity and to be able to work with someone like Karyn Murphy who I’ve known for a while now,” she said.
“But I’m also a bit nervous, I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve been in that system even though I only missed one season, so I am a little nervous as well to see what to expect.”
Annette played for the Beerwah Bulldogs for five years and that’s where she realised there were professional pathways possible to pursue.
“I didn’t take it as seriously then because I didn’t really think that representative footy was anything I wanted to do, I was more doing it for the fun of it and all the friends you make along the way,” she said.
“It was through Beerwah that I realised the potential that I had to go a bit further and it was in 2014 when playing for Beerwah that I got selected in the all-stars team and Queensland and Australia.
“So, it definitely helped me get to that level and stay there for the years that I was with Beerwah.”
The new Titans player said she hoped to lead by example for the fledgling team in only its second season.
“I think it’s really exciting to be a part of something that is fresh and to be able to help build a really good team culture environment and help be a part of something in its early stages,” she said.
“It’s exciting to come in off what they have already done and the success they have already had.”
And as for the future of women in the game, Annette hopes that more young girls will consider playing rugby league, especially now with all the professional pathways emerging.
“There’s definitely more opportunities now and that’s awesome for them to be able to look up and instead of saying I want to be like Jonathon Thurston they can say I want to be like Ali Brigginshaw,” she said.
