Campo's Corner: New stars and old powers combine in the 2022 NRLW team of the year

Expansion is a tricky business, especially in a sport like rugby league which has such a natural aversion to things that are new and different and takes such comfort in its own nostalgia. 

This inherent fear of change, a failure to trust the game itself to be enough, hamstrung the growth of the sport for years. Instead of building a new future, the league too often tries to recreate a past that is already gone. 

That's what makes the success of this year's NRLW season something of a miracle. It's been a breath of fresh air for a game that too often refuses to open its lungs. 

After the inaugural season in 2018, league's natural caution proved to be an asset. Rather than rapidly adding new teams for the sake of it, they stuck with the original four teams for almost four years in an effort to ensure the talent pool would not be drained too quickly. 

Emma Tonegato now has a Dally M Medal to go with her Olympic gold, while Broncos prop Millie Boyle can put hers next to her three premiership rings.

Adding three new sides was probably possible a bit before it happened but, now it has happened, the genie is out of the bottle.

The first NRLW season of 2022 was clearly the best in the competition's history — the standard of play was higher, teams improved more over the course of the season because they had more time to train and play together and even players who have been established for years have either hit new peaks or experienced comeback campaigns. 

At its best, progress moves downhill. As it happens, it happens faster. Women's rugby league is gathering speed and it's already easy to envision what the second 2022 season will look like — and the further expansion to come in 2023 and 2024.

The waiting has been done and it's time to