“It’s hard not to be romantic about rugby league”.
The greatest game of all has a way of telling stories that stay with us long after the final siren.
Legends are born, memories are forged and moments are passed down through generations — moments like Andrew Johns going blindside to put Darren Albert away in 1997 or Johnathan Thurston kicking the Cowboys into immortality in 2015.
These aren’t just highlights on a screen.
As fans, we lived them. We cheered, we cried and we carried those memories home in our hearts.
On Saturday 13 September, at a grassroots level, another story will be written.
One that may not play out on the grand stage of the NRL, but will mean everything to two clubs and their communities.
THE STAGE IS SET
The Mallabula Panthers will face their greatest test of the 2025 season when they clash with Port Stephens rivals, the Nelson Bay Bandits, in the inaugural Women’s Community Plate decider at the Lakeside Sporting Complex.
Both sides are in their first-ever year of tackle… and each has already made history simply by reaching this point.
For those at Mallabula, however, there is a deeper sense of purpose.
A win on Saturday wouldn’t just be a victory — it would be the foundation of a legacy.
THE HEART OF A CLUB – NGAOMI STONE
No one embodies that more than 46-year-old utility, Ngaomi Stone.
The weekend’s match will be her final game before retirement, a moment that has her riding a wave of emotion.
“Footy is a really big thing for me,” said Stone, visibly holding back tears.
“I’m the oldest player in the team and when I was growing up, there were no opportunities for women to play at all.
“Dad got me into footy as a kid, but I lost him to suicide when I was nine.
“So, I play for him.
“This grand final being my last game… it feels like I’m losing a part of myself as this chapter closes.”
Stone hit a milestone earlier this year, playing her 100th career match, a moment celebrated by teammates who affectionately call her “Nanna Gnomes” — a nickname she wears with pride as both a veteran player and a grandmother.
“I coached the under-12s this year… and that’s where my future lies in the game now,” she said.
“This weekend, I’ll be putting my whole heart and soul into this one last game.”
A BATTLE AGAINST THE ODDS – KIARA SHELTON
While Stone’s story is about legacy, 27-year-old prop Kiara Shelton brings a tale of sheer perseverance.
Diagnosed with Long QT syndrome at just nine years old, she was strongly advised by medical experts to never play contact sport again.
Her dream seemed over before it had truly begun.
“In 2013, I had a pacemaker and defibrillator fitted after two surgeries,” Shelton explained.
“I was told absolutely no way are you playing footy.
“I was a Mallabula junior and had to walk away, but I never stopped wanting to come back.”
Amazingly, Shelton was a Newcastle Knight in season 2022 in the NSWRL Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership squad.
However, her journey wasn’t without danger.
“Two years ago, I snapped the lead of my pacemaker in the middle of a game,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.
“It could have been a very serious and fatal issue.
“If my heart rate spiked, it could’ve triggered the defib.
“But, somehow, I got through it.
“I’ve had it replaced and now I’m back here when it all started.”
When asked why she continues to risk it all, her voice cracked with feeling.
“It’s very emotional for me to come back to the Panthers,” Shelton said.
“I grew up here. My father played here.
“This is my home.”
ONE TEAM, ONE FAMILY – THE CAPTAIN’S PERSPECTIVE
Leading the Panthers onto the field will be captain and halfback Chloe Zdebski, who has embraced a role she never expected.
“We’re one here — one team, one club, one big family,” said the 22-year-old teacher’s aide, who also works driving cranes on the wharfs.
“We play for each other.
“There are no individuals in this team… and I’m so proud of the girls.”
Thrown into the halfback role out of necessity, Zdebski has risen to the challenge.
“We didn’t have a halfback, so I was thrown in the deep end,” she laughed.
“My main focus was to bring a team home here because this club, this community, it means everything to me.”
As for their rivals, Nelson Bay?
“Honestly, we haven’t spoken much about them,” Zdebski said.
“Our focus has been on ourselves and what we bring to the field.
“We know what we can do — and we’re ready to rip in.”
MORE THAN JUST A GAME
Saturday’s grand final is more than just the culmination of a season.
It represents the blood, sweat and tears of two pioneering squads who dared to dream and built something from nothing.
It’s a rivalry forged not in bitterness, but in mutual respect and shared passion for the game.
On Saturday, it won’t be just about a trophy or a scoreboard.
It will be about the quiet moments that brought these women here — the late nights, the bruises, the laughter in the dressing rooms and the tears shed along the way.
For Mallabula and Nelson Bay, this is more than a match.
It’s a declaration that women’s rugby league has well and truly arrived in their community and that every tackle, every run, every cheer from the crowd is part of a new story being written.
When the final whistle blows, one club will lift the Plate high, but both will have already changed the game forever.
NHRL GRAND FINAL PROGRAM
Saturday 13 September
Lakeside Sporting Complex, Raymond Terrace
Field 1
- 9.15am: Ladies League tag C grade – Swansea v Raymond Terrace
- 10.30am: Women’s Community Plate – Cessnock v Stockton
- 11.50am: Men’s C grade – Stockton v Karuah
- 1.45pm: Men’s B grade – Newcastle Uni v Shortland
- 3.30pm: Men’s A grade – Waratah Mayfield v Dudley
Field 2
- 9am: Ladies league tag B grade – Aberglasslyn v Waratah Mayfield
- 10.15am: Ladies league tag A grade – Central Newcastle v Waratah Mayfield
- 11.40am: Women’s Community Plate – Mallabula v Nelson Bay
- 1.10pm: Men’s D grade northern – Mallabula v Clarence Town
- 3pm: Men’s D grade southern – West Wallsend v Kearsley
For more sports stories:
- Cheetahs determined to stop Butcher Girls’ league tag juggernaut
- Talented Raiders forward Newcastle bound
- GALLERY… Hawks shatter dynasty in huge NEWRL upset
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
