You could see the smile on Vanessa Foliaki's face from a mile away.
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The Sydney Roosters backrower, and perhaps Australian Prime Minister's XIII bolter Kaitlyn Phillips, too, are back in with a chance of playing the game they love at a high level in 2020 after the Australian Rugby League Commission confirmed the third season of the NRL women's premiership will kick-off in September .
There had been months of uncertainty for players and staff involved following the coronavirus outbreak and the expected cost cuts, but leading players from across Australia and New Zealand were told of the news last week by interim NRL CEO Andrew Abdo.
Last year's premiers Brisbane will join runners-up St George Illawarra, Sydney Roosters and New Zealand in a four-week competition beginning alongside the men's Telstra Premiership finals series.
The NRL is confident Warriors players and staff will be available to travel to Australia by September, while any speculation that both the Warriors and Roosters were set to withdraw from the competition due to financial restraints appears to have been resolved.
The competition was due to expand to six regular rounds in 2020, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic creating havoc across world sport, the teams are likely to revert back to the 2018 model where they meet each other once before grand final day on October 25.
It's also expected games will be played as double-headers alongside the men's finals schedule to help maintain costs after two standalone fixtures were played last year.
"The women's game is a very important element of rugby league," ARLC chairman Peter V'landys said.
"We are very proud of our achievements in the women's game and we should be providing it the significance it deserves. I want to thank the clubs for their commitment to women's sport and the players themselves for their understanding as we worked through this process."
The confirmation is a major step for the women's game following confirmation a State of Origin match will be played as a standalone event on Friday, November 13.
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