Breaking new ground: NSW out to forge fresh dynasty

Throughout the first 24 seasons of the Women's National Cricket League, New South Wales and titles went hand in hand.

Boasting a team of international and domestic stars, thanks in no small part to a female pathways program that was ahead of its time, the mighty Breakers won 20 titles across that period, including 10 in a row between 2005-06 and 2014-15.

Then, the shift towards professionalism across the women's game, both internationally and domestically, changed the landscape dramatically.

Greats retired, other players moved interstate chasing opportunities – an option made more attractive and feasible by professionalism – and the increasingly busy international schedule meant Australian players were less and less available.

Of the NSW XI that last lifted the Ruth Preddey Cup in 2018-19, only Lauren Cheatle will take the field on Sunday. Rachael Haynes, Rene Farrell and Sarah Aley have retired, while Nicola Carey, Naomi Stalenberg, Rachel Trenaman and Maisy Gibson all moved to Tasmania.

Australia stars Alyssa Healy and Ashleigh Gardner remain with the state but are rarely available, and Ellyse Perry moved to Victoria (although is reportedly set to return home in 2025-26).

After making 24 consecutive finals, the dynasty ended when the Breakers lost to Western Australia in the 2019-20 decider, and they finished fourth, third, sixth and fifth on the table across the next four seasons.

Across that period, the young talent still flowing from the NSW pathways rode more lows than highs but gained valuable experience along the way.

At the same time, players who had once been unable to crack the dominant NSW teams and left to seek their fortunes elsewhere returned home, eager for a chance to finally wear the Baggy Blue.

Now, the new-look Breakers have returned to the WNCL final, where they will look to knock off top-ranked Queensland to end their title drought.

"When you lose senior players like that and the experience they had, it leaves a very big hole," Tahlia Wilson, who at 25 is the only member of the current squad who played in the 2019-20 final defeat, said this week.

"The last few years have been a bit tough for us, but we've been able to have the same foundation players in and around for the last four to five years, and I think that's made a big difference to where we are now.

"At the start of the season, we sat down and we said, 'Yes, we're still quite a young side, but from an experience point of view, we've had girls (aged) 17, 18, 19 who have played more games than I did at that age.

"In reality, they're actually more experienced than other girls are at their age.

"So, I think putting that (mentality of) 'Oh, we're young, it's okay', out of the picture and being a bit more accountable has definitely helped us this year.

"The legacy of Cricket New South Wales and what the Breakers have done, I think would be nice to pay it back to them by winning another one."

Anika Learoyd, a 22-year-old Gumbaynggirr woman who grew up in Coffs Harbour, has enjoyed a breakout season in the NSW top-order.

She said while she did not watch much of the great NSW teams of the past while growing up – with little streaming outside of a few finals, they rarely received the exposure their performances deserved – the weight of those past successes had been felt at times.

This week, many of those past NSW players have been in touch with the current squad, wishing them luck for Sunday’s final.

"I think it's actually really hard to express," Learoyd said when asked what it meant for NSW to return to the final.

"It's the culmination of five years of a lot of hard work from this group.

"The Breakers historically have been such a successful team, and it's not something that we all shy away from, but it's certainly something that we've all felt the pressure from in the last few years.

"So for us to have made the final is huge achievement in itself … it's something that we're really looking forward to, and we're really hopeful that we can go out there and do the past players proud, our own staff proud and ourselves proud."

While the New South Wales team that steps out onto Allan Border Field will be captained by Englishwoman Georgia Adams, the remainder of their 13-player squad, alongside other contracted players who helped them reach the decider, are products of the NSW underage pathways.

Many, like Learoyd, are part of the 'young Breakers' who have debuted across the past five years and been instrumental in the state's rebuild.

Then there are the full-circle Breakers: former Australia allrounder Sarah Coyte, who started her career at NSW before playing for South Australia, ACT Meteors and Tasmania before returning home in 2023-24.

Sam Bates, the 32-year-old left-arm spinner who played for the ACT, Tasmania and Victoria, then returned home to Newcastle last off-season without a state contract. NSW came calling and she finally debuted for the state in September.

Maitlan Brown (ACT) and Sammy-Jo Johnson (Queensland) also made their starts elsewhere before returning home in recent years.

"I've only been back there since the start of last season, but I think it was a tricky period, and a period where New South Wales had to rebuild to an extent," Coyte told cricket.com.au this week.

"This team, regardless of age, I feel like there's plenty of experience behind the girls now, they've played a lot of WNCL seasons, so they've definitely got enough experience and to see the development and how far they've come in the last couple years right up to this point has been really exciting, and I'm stoked to be part of the New South set up again.

"(This final's) been a long time coming, I think, and this season has really been a blueprint of how we've wanted to play for quite a long time.

"(Winning) would mean everything. I started my career here, and to be able to come back and be so welcomed back home, this would just top it off.

"Back when I played early on in my career, we definitely dominated ... with Lisa Sthalekar, Alex Blackwell, Leah Poulton, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, all those big names.

"To do it with a pretty new squad in terms of how young it is ... the majority of them haven't played in a WNCL final … so it would mean a lot, not just to me, but to everyone who's put time and energy into the whole Breakers squad."

WNCL 2024-25  

Final: Queensland v New South Wales | Allan Border Field | Sunday, March 2 at 2.35pm AEDT (1.35pm AED)

Stream live and free via the CA Live app and cricket.com.au or watch via Kayo Sports or Foxtel