Andrew Johns is urging the NRL to step in and block a possible Jesse Southwell transfer from Newcastle to Brisbane.
Rumours are swirling the younger gun NRLW halfback might be a part of her former Knights premiership-winning teammate and Dally M winner Tamika Upton within the Queensland capital subsequent yr.
Southwell, 20, is the NSW Blues halfback and arguably essentially the most proficient playmaker within the girls’s recreation. Johns has been singing her praises for years.
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And whereas rumours of her looming defection have been hosed down by the Knights and by her personal administration, they’re sufficient to place concern into Johns.
“The gulf between the Roosters and Brisbane to the underside groups is big. It goes Roosters, Brisbane, then just under them is the Knights, then it is a large drop off,” Johns mentioned on Huge World of Sports activities’ Immortal Behaviour.
“If Jesse Southwell goes to Brisbane they’ll win each week by 40 or 50, and that’s being conservative. If she is in that workforce nobody will get close to them.
Andrew Johns fears for the NRLW is Jesse Southwell joins the Broncos. 9
“It’s Jesse’s choice, however the NRL has to return in right here. If Jesse goes to Brisbane chances are you’ll as effectively simply have one spherical, simply have a grand closing – Brisbane vs. the Roosters.
“I simply hope she would not go. Take away my loyalty to Newcastle… for the nice of the competitors this can’t occur, as a result of they are going to be completely unbeatable.
“Her kicking recreation is miles forward of anybody else’s within the recreation… put that into Brisbane with their robust ahead, Tamika on the again, Julia Robinson… nobody goes to get close to them.
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“Each week they are going to be successful by 40 or 50 factors, which shall be unhappy.”
The Knights halfback has choices in her contract for 2026 and 2027 however might reportedly entertain a transfer north if there was a proposal.
The prospect of her transferring to Brisbane will not sit effectively with many Knights followers, in addition to followers of the broader competitors.
The Broncos dominated the early years of the NRLW, claiming the primary three premierships and the primary 4 minor premierships. They had been once more minor premiers final yr, solely to fall over within the finals.
League nice Ruan Sims would not need to purchase into the rumoured Southwell transfer.
“Rumours are simply rumours till there’s any truth to again it up,” Sims mentioned on Huge World of Sports activities’ NRLW Weekly.
“My understanding is that her administration has come out and mentioned it’s only a hearsay.
“It must be one thing fairly important for her to interrupt two extra years of a contract. I do not like shopping for into it till there are some guts to it.
“If the hearsay was to be that the Broncos had been chasing her, why would not they? She is without doubt one of the greatest halves going round within the recreation. Her complete yr has been unbelievable.
“The Broncos are allowed to chase who they need. Jesse is allowed to go searching if she needs to, if she shouldn’t be breaking any contracts.
“I do know that Knights followers could be hurting as a result of they’ve misplaced actually good gamers. They might be like, ‘Oh no, not one other one. We won’t let one other one go’.
“I would not begrudge her if she selected to go some place else. That’s utterly as much as the participant, it’s as much as her.”
If Southwell is to make the transfer to the sunshine state, it could see her workforce up with former teammate Upton within the Broncos jersey.
The Knights – who gained again to again NRLW premierships in 2022 and 2023 – additionally misplaced gun ahead Millie Elliott to the Roosters final yr.
