NRLW Head Coach, Craig Sandercock has continued to build his team of support staff ahead of the 2026 NRLW season.
Sandercock – who was appointed to the role in September 2025 – has been building out his program for the calendar year, following the recruitment of a number of players to his squad for the season ahead.
In addition to the detailed planning and preparation for his first campaign at the helm of the Wests Tigers NRLW squad, Sandercock has been recruiting his team of coaches and high-performance staff.
The appointment of Richmond Saliba as NRLW Head of High Performance was confirmed in November 2025. Saliba arrived at Concord with an extensive background in elite sport, having previously held strength and conditioning and sports science roles at the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Rugby Australia, as well as working with a range of individual athletes across combat sports.
The latest addition to Sandercock’s team is Sa Patiole, who joins as an Assistant Coach. Most recently, Patiole had been the Head Coach of Mounties NSW Women’s Premiership side during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Patiole also coached throughout the North Sydney Bears men’s program and was Head Coach of their Tarsha Gale side in 2023.
Sandercock said he was looking forward to working with Patiole throughout the 2026 campaign.
“Sa is a fantastic addition to our program and we’re really happy to have him on board,” Sandercock said.
He arrives with a great reputation from his time at Mounties and North Sydney and his appointment is another step in his own development as a coach.
Craig Sandercock NRLW Head Coach
“I’m looking forward to seeing the contribution he can make to our program throughout this year.”
Harley Donoghue has also been appointed as NRLW Head Physiotherapist, having previously overseen South Sydney Rabbitohs NSW Women’s Premiership squad. Belinda Paris joins the high-performance team as Assistant Physiotherapist, after spending time in the St George Illawarra Dragons NRLW program.
On the broader appointments to his team, Sandercock said it was pleasing to see things coming together as the 2026 pre-season quickly approached.
“There’s been plenty of work going on in the background to ensure we’re in the best position possible when the pre-season officially starts in May,” Sandercock added.
“We want to have the best support across both coaching and high-performance, laying the platform for us to take this program to where we need it to be and ultimately, be successful.”
NRLW Coaching and High-Performance staff:
NRLW Head Coach: Craig Sandercock
NRLW Assistant Coach: Sa Patiole
NRLW Head of High Performance: Richmond Saliba
NRLW Head Physiotherapist: Harley Donoghue
NRLW Assistant Physiotherapist: Belinda Paris
