Chasing the Dream: Katelyn Whitehead’s road to the NRLW

A rising star for the Sydney Roosters Indigenous Academy side, young outside back Katelyn Whitehead is one of many talented players on show in the Tarsha Gale Cup competition as they chase their dreams of one day playing in the NRLW.

Coming off a breakout season in 2024 which saw her claim the Tarsha Gale Cup Coaches Award for the Roosters, Whitehead has continued her form this year and been a crucial piece to the team's success in Under-19s competition.

A talented multi-code athlete across several sports, which include touch football, league tag, and OzTag, she has now shifted all her focus to turning her NRLW dream into a reality.

Preparing for the Preliminary Final match against last year's winners, the Illawarra Steelers, on Saturday afternoon, Whitehead spoke to Zero Tackle about her rugby league journey, the importance of her family, and her NRLW aspirations.

"It's so good to wear the Roosters jersey. It's such an honour and so proud to do it," Whitehead told Zero Tackle.

"Probably as soon as I started playing and watching other girls do it from a young age it'd be my dream to play in the NRLW.

"It would mean so much to take the field and hopefully in a Roosters jersey."

Named in the centres alongside Tyra Ekepati for this week's match, Whitehead has been granted the opportunity to learn off one of the NRLW's best outside backs in Isabelle Kelly and back-rower Olivia Kernick who have been great mentors to the side due to teammate Keeley Davis being the head coach.

The captain of the Sydney Roosters NRLW, Kelly is a two-time premiership winner and has been a mainstay of both the Australian Jillaroos and NSW Sky Blues since 2017. Meanwhile, Kernick was named the 2024 NRLW Dally M Player of the Year.

"Having the big names like Isabelle Kelly and Olivia Kernick around at training to help us is just so beneficial for me in my position," Whitehead added.

"They help mentor us so much and it means a lot."

Like all rugby players, Whitehead wouldn't be where she is now without the support of a fantastic family base and loyal friends who travel from the Central Coast to cheer her on during matches.

"Their support is everything. They're always coming to me games and everything and they have been awesome" she added.

“I have a big group of family and friends who love to come and support me which I'm so thankful for.

“Having a small group of teammates who also come from the Coast is amazing and makes the travel a whole lot easier.”