'It gives us all hope': The 2.30am Canadian watch party for NRLW debut

Canadian players held a 2.30am watch party to support Megan Pakulis as the Ravens captain made her NRLW debut for the Titans and some are now also aspiring to play at a higher level.

Pakulis, a 2024 NRL Vegas Combine winner, became the first North American to play in the NRLW when she came off the bench in the Round 2 match against Brisbane.

Ravens centre Petra Woods said team-mates in Canada were cheering for her, despite the time difference.

“It was 2.30am so we were trying to keep our eyes open,” Woods told 42025.com.

"We had a watch party, a few of us have got the Watch NRL app, and as soon as she got on, we were trying not to wake everyone else, but we were screaming and cheering really loud.

“It was incredible, she had a standout performance, as we expected, and we are just so proud of her.

"She has been dreaming about the NRLW since it started, and I’m surprised this opportunity didn’t come sooner, but she is there now and we can’t wait to see those stats keep going up.”

After being selected as a 2024 Combine winner, Pakulis travelled to Australia to play and tour NRLW clubs before spending a season in England, where she helped York to win the Women’s Super League grand final.

With prop Shannon Mato sitting out the season after becoming pregnant and forward Rilee Jorgensen ruled out with a back injury, Titans coach Karyn Murphy offered Pakulis a shot at history.

Woods said the rise of Pakulis to the NRLW had generated interest in Canada and would inspire others to aim to follow in her footsteps.

“Because Megan is really connected with a lot of club and provincial teams, and has been scouted nationally, everyone is following her journey - whether they are rugby fans or not,” Woods said.

“She is teacher, and I know some of her students back home have been watching.

“It gives a lot of us hope too, that it is possible for us. To see Megan thrive and fit in so nicely in the NRLW competition it means that we are doing something right in Canada.

“She is a trailblazer in the women’s game in Canada and hopefully she will bring some of that experience back to our national team.

"It would be awesome to have her new knowledge from the NRLW and her experience to continue leading our program in the right direction.”

Woods, who played alongside Pakulis in the Ontario Ospreys team which won the 2024 NRL Vegas Nines, said the star forward’s success had made her and other Canadian players realise that playing in the NRLW was an achievable goal.

“I know there are only very few opportunities for the NRLW squads but as the league has grown there are more teams being added so I will keep pushing for those opportunities when they come up by being fit and ready," she said.

“Who knows, maybe I could follow Megan’s pathway of going abroad to England to see if I can gain some similar experience as she did."

Pakulis and Woods are set to be key players as the Ravens seek to win October’s inaugural World Series in Canada to determine the final women’s berth at the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Canada will use a tour to Fiji in August to prepare for the inaugural IRL Women’s World Series in Brampton as they aim to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

The Ravens play the Bulikula in a World Series semi-final at Terry Fox Stadium on October 21, with the winner to face the victor of the other semi-final between Ireland and Nigeria to determine the final women’s berth at RLWC2026.

However, the two nations will meet before then, with Canada travelling to Fiji to play the Fiijian Rise Rookie Academy on August 27 and a Bulikula Residents team on August 30.

“We have been watching the NRLW and some of their international matches as well,” Woods said.

“It will be a challenge for us, but we feel really comfortable with that, which is a great sense of accomplishment.”