Millie Boyle’s big move from Knights to Roosters is fitting for a marquee NRLW player

If there is one player brave enough to make big moves, it’s 24-year-old Boyle who has gradually become one of the biggest names in Australian women’s sport.

This is the woman who passed the SAS Australia course, changed rugby codes and made daring decisions a hallmark of her professional career.

After two premierships with Brisbane she made the huge call, along with teammate Tamika Upton, to join the Knights, who were struggling at the time, for the 2022 season.

Hannah and Jesse Southwell were on board, Caitlan Johnston and Kirra Dibb were firing, and magic happened. The Knights had a rapid turnaround within the space of a few months and won the NRLW premiership last season.

It’s unknown what happened in the negotiating room in an attempt to keep her on board for this season, but it’s clear there was a big enough breakdown to make her look elsewhere.

The natural assumption would be that because Boyle’s fiance, Adam Elliott, is a part of the Knights NRL squad, that she would opt to remain in Newcastle to support him.

But a player of Boyle’s magnitude needs to be handled carefully, because she has options. A multi-year contract with the Roosters turned out to be impossible to turn down once negotiations stalled with the Knights.

Why that would happen with the club’s marquee NRLW recruit, premiership-winning captain is unclear. Players like Boyle, who make brave calls, stay humble, give back to the community and still deliver on the field, are creating change in the women’s game.

The same can be said for NSW and Jillaroos captain Kezie Apps, who has made a similar call to leave St George Illawarra after five years to join the Wests Tigers.

It’s brave. It’s a chance to get out of their comfort zone. It’s good for the competition.

As for Boyle, she will remain in Newcastle with Elliott where they are settled.

She’ll make the three hour trip to training to work under John Strange at the Roosters, where she will be contracted for many years to come.

“I put her in the same bracket as Izzy [Isabelle Kelly], when you’re in tough situations in games those girls come to the top. She’s definitely in that bracket, she’s been doing it for the Broncos, she did it for the Knights last season and hopefully she can do it for us,” Strange tells CODE Sports.

“I’ve had a few conversations on the phone with her before I met her and she’s just a really good positive person which is important.

“She’s a great player and she’s a good leader for our pack for sure.”

Boyle is one of several big name recruits for the Roosters, who will be announced over the coming weeks after the contracting window opened on Wednesday.

Jillaroos five-eighth Tarryn Aiken has also joined the club from the Broncos, while Corban Baxter is set to make her return as fullback after giving birth to her second child.

They have also lost a few in Sam Bremner (retiring), Raecene McGregor (Dragons), Angelina Teakaraanga Katoa (Dragons) and Zahara Temara.

While disappointed to lose Boyle and also Kirra Dibb and Bobbi Law from their premiership-winning side, the Knights are in the process of locking in Upton on a multi-year contract, as well as local stars the Southwell sisters, Yasmin Clydsdale and Johnston.

“I suppose from our perspective [Boyle] decided it was the best opportunity for her moving forward, which as a club we totally understand,” says Knights coach Ron Griffiths.

“Tamika is staying, and it’ll be a multi-year deal.

“We’re working through that process at the moment. That’s the important thing to come out of all of this is that players can actually now get a bit of security in terms of setting their lives up. That’s extremely important.

“The good thing with Newcastle is we have a lot of players from the area, so it’s fantastic that we’re able to hang onto those players.”

After months of negotiations between the NRL and the RLPA the contracting window finally opened on Wednesday, allowing 240 players to sign multi-year deals for the first time.

Naturally, the player market has been frenzied with the game’s biggest names all up for grabs with nothing but verbal agreements to base their future on.

Many are yet to put pen to paper with registered and binding contracts, but big moves are expected.

Former Dragons fullback Emma Tonegato is expected to sign with Cronulla, while Simaima Taufa (Eels) and Zahara Temara (Roosters) will join the Raiders.

Jamie Chapman (Broncos) and Shaylee Bent (Dragons) have joined the Titans in recent days.

Elsewhere, the Eels are expected to lose star fullback Gayle Broughton to Brisbane, but will retain Kennedy Cherrington on a massive three-year deal.

NRLW pre-season is set to start on May 29, with clubs to finalise their 24-person squads the week before. So far only the Dragons have made their finalised contracts public.

It follows months of stagnation in the women’s game where players were wracked with uncertainty and anxieties about their future.

“I’m actually disappointed that it’s taken this long [to contract players]… the toll it’s taken on a lot of these players has been underestimated. That’s what’s disappointing for me, that they couldn’t find a resolution earlier,” Strange says.

“I spoke to people at the NRL and the RLPA months ago about that very thing.

“I understand they had their reasons and I don’t want to get involved in that stuff, it’s nothing to do with me, but I urged them to think about the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the players by not having any resolution at the moment.

“It is what it is now and everyone will probably forget about it, but I don’t think a lot of the players will.”

SIGNED

Dragons

Raecene McGregor (Roosters)

Bobbi Law (Knights)

Sara Sautia (Broncos)

Angelina Teakaraanga Katoa (Roosters)

Renee Targett (re-signed)

Page McGregor (re-signed)

Keele Brown (re-signed)

Kaarla Cowan

Maddison Weatherall

Margot Vella

Ella Kosta

Tara McGrath-West

Cortez Te Pou

Juju Bright

Alexis Tauaneai

Titans

Shannon Mato (re-signed)

Evania Pelite (re-signed)

Lauren Brown (re-signed)

Jess Elliston (re-signed)

Shaylee Bent (Dragons)

Jamie Chapman (Broncos)

YET TO BE FINALISED

Knights

Tamika Upton

Yasmin Clydsdale

Jesse Southwell

Hannah Southwell

Caitlan Johnston

Caitlin Moran

Raiders

Simaima Taufa

Zahara Temara

Titans

Shaylee Bent (Dragons)

Jamie Chapman (Broncos)

Broncos

Gayle Broughton

Wests Tigers

Kezie Apps

Botille Vette-Welsh

Cowboys

Romy Teitzel

Roosters

Millie Boyle

Tarryn Aiken

Eels

Kennedy Cherrington

Sharks

Emma Tonegato