The long-awaited return to the playing field for the Titans NRLW squad is almost over, with the group well and truly in the thick of pre-season training.
Coming off a dominant display of on-field performances in the 2023 season that took them to a historic grand final, Gold Coast vice-captain Brittany Breayley-Nati is planning to leave no stone unturned during preseason.
"Last year was a good building block for us," she told titans.com.au.
"Losing the grand final last year was a really hard pill to swallow, but just knowing that we’ve got a good core group of girls back together and we’ve all got the same goal.
"I think we had everything right in place, but now it’s just putting the icing on the cake and getting that ‘gold back to the Gold Coast."
"To me…we don’t need to change anything, it’s just critiquing everything and making sure that no stone is left unturned.
"We go again this year and come away one better.
"I am super excited."
Opting not to focus on last year’s grand final loss, or the three devastating injuries to young female stars before being able to don a ‘24 jersey, the foundation Titan knows the group will stop at nothing to get the job done.
"I like to just worry about us as a group,” Breayley-Nati said.
"We do have injuries, but we do have a lot of players with a lot of potential in the line-up.
"It’s heartbreaking that these younger girls have lost a chance to play this year, but I have no doubt that whoever Murph [Karyn Murphy] and the coaching staff have signed will get the job done."
Having been a core part of the NRLW franchise since its inception, the 30-gamer is most proud of the growth in opportunities available for aspiring rugby league athletes since the introduction of the NRLW.
"Seeing the pathways these days for the younger generation, I never had that growing up," Breayley-Nati said.
"We were always finished playing at 12-years-old, and then you couldn’t play again until you had to play women’s.
"So, seeing how many pathways there are, like the Karyn Murphy Cup held here on the Gold Coast – which my daughter and my nieces are a part of, and they love it.
"It’s just really exciting to see where the future of footy is heading."
Match: Dragons v Titans
Round 1 -
home Team
Dragons
7th Position
away Team
Titans
4th Position
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
With the Titans to kick-off their season against the Dragons on July 28, Breayley-Nati won’t be letting her former season at the Sydney club affect her, but she is eager for the on-field rivalries between fellow Queensland teams to resume.
"To be honest, if there’s any rivalry it would be between us and the Broncos," she said.
"We’re always called the little sister, but we got one up on them again last year, so I can’t wait for that game."
