Canberra Raiders' Katrina Fanning Academy helping unearth region's NRLW 'potential'

Smith, 29, is one of 30 athletes and coaches in the first cohort of the Katrina Fanning Shield (KFS) Academy, and she said the experience has been immensely valuable.

"I wish this academy was around when I was 15," she said.

"It's great how much women's sport has grown, and that now we can have something to aspire to like the NRLW."

The six-week course brings together selected players from the KFS competition to learn directly from Raiders NRLW coach Darrin Borthwick and Raiders elite pathways coach Chris Hutchison, with access to the club's high performance facilities in Braddon and Belconnen.

The goal of the program is simple - players get the chance to put their foot in the door to the NRLW, and both players and coaches gain valuable knowledge to take back to their respective clubs for the KFS season kicking off in April.

The domino effect is it also lifts the quality of the local women's competition as the Raiders look to establish themselves in the NRLW by creating a pipeline for home-grown footy talent.

Academy participants have come from as far away Griffith, Junee, Wagga and Harden to attend each session on Monday nights.

From on-field drills, to gym sessions, to coaching guidance, to analysis in the theatre, the skills give participants a rare look into the everyday life of NRLW professionals.

Smith was actually playing rugby and in the Brumbies system before she decided to quit and focus on rugby league, due to the increased NRLW opportunities now available a few hours from her home in Junee.

"The dream is to put on a green jersey, but regardless I'm grateful to have this experience which I'll take so much from back to club land," she said.

"The growth in the region surrounding Canberra will be phenomenal with the new Raiders team.

"Being out in the country, there's so much potential out here, we just haven't had the opportunities."

Borthwick is enthusiastic about the academy thus far, and in his first year leading the inaugural NRLW team, he can already see strong foundations for future success.

"The buzz around the Raiders having an NRLW team has been great," he said.

"We've had so many registrations at the under-17 Lisa Fiola Cup trials and the academy has been going well. The interest within the women's space at the moment is huge.

"The girls that we've got coming out on Monday night, I had to tell them to go home, because they're just loving being there getting elite training."

Borthwick is also excited to see coaches keen to improve their approaches to the women's game.

"You find that men are a little bit reluctant to work in the women's space - not that they don't like it, they're just not as familiar with it," he said.

"The more we can make them comfortable and to treat the girls like footy players, not chicks putting boots on, the better. You show them respect like any other player."

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