Jeffries to coach Cowboys’ women
THE North Queensland Cowboys NRLW team have taken their next step towards introduction into the competition, announcing the team’s leadership structure for 2023.
Ben Jeffries will become the club’s inaugural NRLW coach after an impressive World Cup campaign, leading the Papua New Guinea Orchids to their first semi-final appearance.
Jeffries will assume the role of Cowboys’ elite women’s coach as well as head coach of the Cowboys NRLW team.
Anita Creenaune was announced as head of women’s elite programs after 15 years working across the Cowboys organisation in the finance department and more recently in the football department.
Creenaune became the club’s administration manager for football operations in 2017, and was an integral part of the Cowboys’ successful bid for an NRLW team.
The incoming head coach said he was prepared to use his World Cup experience to set high expectations from day one.
“When you play at an elite level, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be working in pathways since 2019, you’ve got to create high standards and expectations,” Jeffries said.
“My World Cup experience was probably the hard
est job I’ve had so far. “It was the most challenging, but the most rewarding to date in the female format, and that experience will certainly put us in good stead for 2023.”
Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel announced the duo on Thursday afternoon at Cowboys HQ, and was confident both
would be a great fit for their roles. “BJ (Jeffries), after his distinguished playing career, is now an international head coach and was also the Indigenous All Stars coach and has been part of the Queensland Rugby League women’s pathway system for a long time,” Reibel said. “Just as im
portantly, he’s been our elite pathways coach for a long time and a number of players you see out there today wearing Cowboys colours have come through the tutelage of Ben Jeffries.
“He’s someone who has understanding not only of our culture, but the technical na
ture of what needs to happen to prepare these young women for this competition.
“When we go back to why we were here in 1995, the whole idea of the Cowboys was to keep North Queenslanders in North Queensland and give them a chance to shine on a national stage.”