NRLW Players: Salma Nour

An opportunity in the NRLW wasn’t looking too promising for 20-year-old Salma Nour, but that’s all changed.

After taking a chance and returning to her junior roots in the Western Suburbs, the Liverpool-born hooker's NRLW dream is now reality.

“I had exerted all my options in Wollongong, and it wasn’t looking very promising,” Nour said.

“I played my first rep footy with Wests Tigers Lisa Fiaola team and obviously having played most of my juniors in the Wests Tigers’ area, I thought it would be good to come back to my junior rugby league area.”

A dancer at first, watching her older brothers influenced Salma to give rugby league a go at age seven with the boys.

Playing for the Liverpool Catholic Club Raiders girls’ side from Under-13s, Nour’s high-school teacher approached her to trial for Illawarra Steelers’ program, where she spent the past few seasons before arriving at Wests Tigers.

Salma was rewarded for her captaincy in 2022, picking up the Steelers’ Tarsha Gale Player of the Year award.

“I captained the team, and usually captains don’t get those types of awards because they’re given to others who show improvement, so I was very surprised but honoured.”

Signing with the St George-Illawarra Dragons NRLW squad in 2022, a debut in the NRLW wasn’t to be despite her success in the Tarsha Gale and Harvey Norman competitions.

After being overlooked at the Dragons, Salma used this as added motivation when he moved to Wests Tigers.

“I enjoyed my experience at the Dragons, but it takes a toll mentally and you’ve got to be resilient,” said Salma.

It just added fuel to the fire for me to finally crack it and actually get a go in the NRLW.

Salma Nour

Salma says she’s noticed a big difference in standards since stepping up to the top grade.

“You think playing Harvey Norman and playing NRLW are the same but they’re not, there’s a lot of things you can’t get away with,” said Nour.

“I’m always talking to Sarah Togatuki because I play in the middle with her so I’m always asking questions and she is always yelling at me, and I appreciate it because she is keeping me accountable.

“It’s great to have those players with NRLW experience since they have more knowledge, and their feedback and constructive criticism are gold.”

Nour has played three NRLW games in her first season back at Wests Tigers scoring her very first try in the top grade against the Broncos in Round 8.