Proud Kamilaroi woman Lailani Montgomery will be honoured to witness a historic moment in this year's upcoming NRLW season, when the NRL celebrates its first Indigenous Round in the women's competition.
The important weekend that has been a staple in the calendar since 2015 moves to Rounds 23 and 24 this year to accomodate both NRL and NRLW competitions - with the Titans unveiling the jersey they'll proudly wear this week against the Roosters (NRLW) and Rabbitohs (NRL) on Sunday, August 10.
Match: Titans v Roosters
Round 6 -
home Team
Titans
away Team
Roosters
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
With connection, community and belonging at the heart of this year’s edition, the 19-year-old shared how lucky she feels to have grown up grounded in her culture and be closely connected to her community.
"I was born and raised on Darkinjung land so I have really strong connection to Darkinjung culture down on the Central Coast of New South Wales," Montgomery told titans.com.au.
"My mother is a very strong and proud Kamilaroi woman, so I was very lucky to grow up in a strong, female environment and grow up learning about my culture.
"Growing up I knew who I was, I knew my cultural identity and I was strong and proud within it.
"I know I'm really lucky to say that because many people don't have that advantage where they got to grow up learning about their culture."
Running out at Cbus Super Stadium last year when the Titans wore their inaugural NRLW Indigenous jersey which mirrored the club's NRL design - much like this year - Montgomery is proud to be part of what she sees as a positive step forward for the game with a dedicated round in the female game.
"It makes me feel extremely honoured and it's a massive step forward for the Titans and the NRLW as a whole," she said.
"I think the jersey is so beautiful and the story itself is incredible but to be able to represent our own culture and someone else's story is something really special within itself."
Following a challenging 2024 season disrupted by injuries, the Titans squad has been working tirelessly in the off-season ahead of the official pre-season beginning on May 12, gearing up for what promises to be an exciting year for women’s rugby league.
"We've been training super hard over the past few months and Bucko (Simon Buxton) has been absolutely killing us but it's what we need," Montgomery said.
"It's exciting, it's fun and it's definitely been hard but we're just ready to rip in."
