A star is born but old powers still reign in round one of the NRLW

After almost 18 months, the NRLW has finally returned with a landmark triple-header kicking off the biggest season of women's rugby league ever.

With three teams making their debuts at Hunter Stadium and new-look sides for the three returning clubs, there was plenty to take away from the competition's first round.

Here's one thing we learned from each side during the first round of the competition.

Stars win matches

The Eels put together a very strong squad with plenty of big names for their first NRLW campaign and it paid off in their come-from-behind win over the Knights. 

Simaima Taufa was Parramatta's best, with the veteran forward helping to turn the tide after half-time, scoring a try and using her strength and power to control the middle third of the field. 

Blues Origin duo Botille Vette-Welsh and Tiana Penitani combined for Parramatta's other score and another representative veteran, Maddie Studdon, kicked the winning drop goal, the first one-pointer in NRLW history, with barely 30 seconds left on the clock. 

The quartet has the kind of big-game experience money can't buy and it showed as the Eels saw off a fearsome challenge from the willing Knights. 

«That's their responsibility in this team. Every team has those sorts of players and they stepped up today and showed their quality,» Eels coach Dean Widders said. 

«I think it was admirable to see the girls hang in the way they did. Mimes was enormous today. At the toughest times, she came up with the biggest plays.

»That's where the women's game is going and that's what a lot of the young girls in that Parramatta dressing shed got a lesson in today." 

It was a glorious moment for Studdon, who wore plenty of criticism for her failure to find the killer touch for New South