The NRLW in 2022: Three new teams, two seasons, Origin and a World Cup

The fourth NRLW season starts this weekend, but as we've become accustomed to in COVID times, it's not that simple.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming women's premiership season.

For the first three years of the NRLW competition there were only four teams in the league — Brisbane Broncos, Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra and the Warriors.

That has now been expanded to six, although we have unfortunately lost the New Zealand side.

This year's competition will include Brisbane, St George Illawarra and the Roosters, with the Gold Coast Titans, Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels joining the league.

The Broncos have won all three women's premierships from 2018 to 2020, beating the Roosters twice and the Dragons once in grand finals.

A points system will determine an even spread of talent in this year's NRLW competition. Here's what you need to know.

Brisbane will be favourites again after re-signing the core of their champion team, including captain and Dally M player of the year Ali Brigginshaw, star fullback Tamika Upton, playmaker Tarryn Aiken, and enforcers like Millie Boyle and Chelsea Lenarduzzi up front, as well as adding All Stars Kaitlyn Phillips and Roxy Murdoch from the Roosters along with a host of others.

Parramatta, under inaugural coach Dean Widders, has perhaps recruited the best of the new teams, picking up stars like Bo Vette-Welsh and Kennedy Cherrington from the Roosters, and Rikeya Horne and Maddie Studdon from the Dragons.

The Roosters, meanwhile, farewelled rugby sevens star Charlotte Caslick, but bolstered their 2020 runner-up squad with the signing of 2019 Dally M winner Jessica Sergis and Isabelle Kelly from the Dragons.

The season starting on Sunday, February 27 is technically the