First to 50: Davis, Kelly, Brigginshaw achieve NRLW milestone

Keeley Davis was training with the Illawarra Steelers team which played in the then nine-aside Tarsha Gale Cup when she first heard about the possibility of an NRL Women’s Premiership.

“I couldn't really get my head around the concept, I was just excited that there was a Tarsha Gale competition,” Davis recalls. “I just had no idea how big the NRLW would get, or what it was even going to be like.”

In the eight seasons since, Davis has become a trailblazer for the women’s game and is one of the few players who knows the struggles of the previous generation while being positioned to capitalise on the opportunities they helped create.

Davis will this weekend join Sydney Roosters team-mate Isabelle Kelly and Brisbane Broncos veteran Ali Brigginshaw - two greats of the game - as the first players to reach the milestone of 50 NRLW games.

With the NRLW comprising of just four teams and three rounds plus a grand final for the first three seasons, it is a feat that can be compared to an NRL player playing 200 matches or more.

“I think one of the boys hit 300 games in 2018 and I was like, that's never happening if I played a lifetime of footy, like literally 100 years, so I am grateful that I am able to play 50 games,” Davis said.

At 25-years-of-age, Davis - who has won a World Cup with the Jillaroos, a premiership with the Roosters and played 10 Origins for NSW - is set to be one of the first to 100 NRLW games if she remains injury free.

However, the expansion of the NRLW to 12 teams, with 11 rounds and a six-team finals series, is set to see the likes of teenage Dragons star Kasey Reh quickly catch up.

It's why Davis is determined to ensure the younger breed of players appreciate the struggles of the pioneers who often had to stop playing in their early teens and received little support when they resumed as adults.

“I had no concept that the game was ever going to be where it's at now, and I feel really privileged that I got to see all the changes and be a part of a lot of the changes that have happened in the NRLW," Davis said.

“I really loved being a part of that transition and getting to see it from the beginning to where it is now.

"Even back in 2017 and 2018, being around a lot of the older girls - the likes of Heather Ballinger and Steph Hancock - and getting to hear the stories of their generation, I find that really cool and hopefully I can pass on those messages to the younger generation, because it is just so different.

“That generation gap is probably the biggest there's ever going to be, so I find it really good that I'm able to play across both generations."

Brigginshaw, who is aiming to play at a fourth World Cup next year, was among the generation of players before the game became semi-professional and made her debut for the Jillaroos in 2009.

Although only 28-years-of-age, Kelly has been a regular member of the NSW team since 2015 and scoring a try on debut as a teenager.

Kelly and Brigginshaw, rival State of Origin captains, are two of the most respected players in the game, both of whom are rightly proud of the role they have played in the development of women's rugby league.

“Ali's been around for a very long time and when I talk about people that were positive influences on me when I was young, she was one that really took me into representative teams with open arms," Kelly said.

“I think she's someone that has copped a lot in her career, but she always stands up and showcases what she can do.

“She looks really happy at the moment with the Broncos, and I think that's exactly where she deserves to celebrate this milestone."

When she started playing rugby league, Brigginshaw could never have imagined that she would be able to play for the Broncos - let alone lead the club to a three-peat in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

“I'm extremely grateful to be at this club, but to be able to make 50 games, I know it seems crazy," Brigginshaw said.

"It's taken eight years to get there but it's a moment that I never thought I would get."

With NRL coaches often saying that a player doesn't fully understand the game until he has played 50 first grade matches, there is little doubt the standard of the NRLW is going to rise as more players join Brigginshaw, Davis and Kelly.

“When you look at the product even from a few years ago to now, the skill and the play-the-balls, catch-pass and just the simple things like that, it's definitely progressing in the right way," Kelly said.

"I love that I've been able to be a part of that transition and when I came into the game I was quite young, but I was surrounded by a lot of older people who always instilled in me to really work hard and I guess build the competition up.

"Now that we're involved with our clubs a lot more and we've got so much more access to strength and conditioning and performance coaches, it has just made the game go to another level."

Brigginshaw will be the first of the trio to achieve the milestone when she leads the Broncos against the Eels at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.