Canberra Raiders coach Darrin Borthwick begins player signing spree after NRLW CBA stalemate ends

It was over a month ago the NRL and Rugby League Players' Association agreed to financial terms for the women's collective bargaining agreement.

However until this week clubs had been unable to contract players while the finer details of the CBA were still being confirmed.

Now they've been greenlit to start signing, it's full steam ahead for Borthwick to lock in Canberra's first ever NRLW squad.

"There's a spring in my step now," he told The Canberra Times, with the first Raiders NRLW signings to be announced early next week.

"It's exciting we can start to name who we've got.

"We've got about 14 locked in that have tentatively agreed and those are the ones that we'll be sending out contracts to."

Like many NRLW coaches, Borthwick was frustrated by the CBA delays as the club prepared for its inaugural appearance in the nine-round competition starting on July 22.

Borthwick had verbal agreements with players, but there was still uncertainty in not being permitted to put pen to paper as nine other clubs circled. And the coach revealed it did cost them a few signings.

"The two that I did miss out on are ones that would have come down four weeks ago, and between then different things have gone on," he said.

"I was disappointed not to get them but I was smart enough to have some girls who could fill that void."

The Raiders will have a 24-woman squad with the minimum contract to be worth $30,000 under a salary cap of $900,000 for 2023.

Borthwick said his Raiders team will include national and international players, as well as homegrown talent from Canberra and surrounding regions.

"There were girls right underneath my nose here and the best thing I did was get out to the regions," Borthwick said.

"It's been a success and given girls an opportunity to play NRLW. These are the exciting calls I get to make over the next week or two, to girls that a few years ago wouldn't have even thought that the opportunity would be here."

Canberra's seven-week pre-season will begin on May 28, before their first NRLW game away, followed by a home men's and women's double-header in round two on July 29.

"The double-header is going to be massive," Borthwick said. "To get this team up and running, it's a lot harder than what it seems.

"To watch them run out onto Canberra Stadium with young girls and boys wearing a Raiders jersey supporting the women as well, it's huge.

"It gives me goosebumps."

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