Despite a slightly slower start to their pre season, the Harden Hawks Rugby League Club have flown into action and gotten their training underway from early February.

We had a chat with the Hawkettes' Georgia Smith about the women's squad's pre season training and we hope to share more about the rest of the club's pre season preparations in future editions.

Ms Smith said it feels like a quick turnaround after the 2025 season finished, so she wanted to make sure the girls had a good break over summer before getting back into it.

The Hawkettes numbers have slowly grown, Ms Smith said, and they currently have around 20 players, which is great.

"A few players aren’t able to commit to playing every weekend, and we still have some local girls who have moved away travelling back from Wagga, Wollongong and Ulladulla to play," she said.

Ms Smith said that while they have lost a few players, we’ve also welcomed eight new girls to the squad who are already showing great value and enthusiasm.

While the Hawkettes haven’t been able to play any preseason games they have their first trial match scheduled this Saturday, 28 March at home against Bega.

The men's squad will be taking to the field following the women's match.

With several players starting their pre season training with a few injuries, and the squad decided not to take on any trial games until now.

"I’ve focused more on building fitness and getting everyone ready for the season," Ms Smith said.

Looking forward to the first round, they will be travelling to take on the Googong Goannas on 11 April, and Ms Smith said the squad still has a bit to prepare for before round one, especially with a number of new players joining the team.

"However, we’re very fortunate to have our core group returning again this season. Even without pre-season games, the girls have been putting in extra work at training to keep their fitness up," Ms Smith said.

"Our fitness has been key to our success over the years. It’s not always the most enjoyable part, but it’s helped us get on top of a lot of teams and win some tight games in the past."

Looking to their first round opponents, Ms Smith said Googong recently joined the competition and are a great group of girls.

"Last year they had a lot of new players who were playing for the first time, and by the end of the season they were by far the most improved team," she said.

"They showed great determination and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they bring to the competition this year."

Ms Smith said coming off the back of our fourth consecutive premiership, she is really looking forward to another season with the Hawkettes.

"There’s no doubt the season will be another grind, but I’m excited to take it on with such a great group of girls and with the support of such a strong club behind us."