Atfield and Quinlan to guide Jets for takeoff in 2023

Coming off a tough 2022 campaign, there's hope that a new spark on the sideline will help to fuel a Nowra-Bomaderry resurgence in next year's Group 7 season.

Quinlan and Atfield both bring a wealth of experience to the club and are respected leaders on and off the field.

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Quinlan who played professionally for the St George Illawarra Dragons and Hull Kingston Rovers in the English Super league will take on the reigns of the Jets first grade side.

Atfield who also played professionally for the Dragons, comes back to the Jets after a stint with the Berry-Shoalhaven Heads Magpies last season.

It will be the first senior women's team in Jets history, with the experienced Atfield looking to provide a steadiness on the sidelines to the club's young guns.

"I think we have a lot of talent down here that can helps us to go far, but the main thing is just about having fun," Atfield said.

Atfield said it's been incredible to see the growth that women's rugby league has had in the past several years, with opportunities available for the next generation that were never there before.

"I got the call asking if I wanted to coach the first ever women's Jets side and I jumped at the opportunity," she said.

"To coach a league team and start a pathway down here for the juniors is probably the biggest motivation behind it for me."

Atfield acknowledged that it's always a tough going in your first season as a team, but said the opportunities this presents is bigger than just this inaugural year.

"Being the first year it's going to be hard but you're starting at one point and you can only go up. It's all about people buying in."

"One day there may be a full time opportunity in the WNRL and any growth towards that I think is in the right direction."

For the first grade Jets there was some positive signs last year but overall it was a rough trot.

They finished the 2022 Group 7 season in eighth place with a record of four wins, one draw and 12 losses. A four game winning streak in the middle almost stemmed the tide but it was too little too late.

"We didn't have a great start last year like we would have liked and then we went of a run there in the middle before we fell off at the end of the season," Quinlan said.

The crafty halfback said that one positive last year was seeing a variety of young guns step up and play for the first grade side which illustrated the talented pool of youngsters the Jets have to work with.

"They're all going to be here again this season and there's plenty to build with them for sure," he said.

The Jets side definitely has talent with Quinlan, wing Braydon Walsh, centre Brayden Omoeboh, young fullback Sam Colgate, prop Jonah Longbottom, centre Beau Luland, second rower Thomas Latta, fullback Jake Gould and five-eighth Tyson Simpson.

"I think we knew that we had it in there just things weren't going out way."

"I want to bring a togetherness to the club."

"Everyone has a lot of belief and I think if I can bring that out in them, it'll help us a great deal."

The Jets have a preseason get together at Plantation Point on Sunday December 11, at 11am.