Shayla Powell was introduced to rugby league by her Grade 5 PE teacher Eric Smyth, took to it immediately, and hasn’t stopped since. A prop from Norths Knights, her biggest junior moment came in 2023 when she won Confro with her TCC team — a grand final she still counts as the most memorable game of her career. Now she’s aiming for something bigger: a Capras debut in 2026.

Shayla’s approach to the game is cut straight: no one can do it for you. Footy, she says, isn’t just a game — it builds routine, discipline and accountability. She arrives to game day with eggs on toast (preferably with avocado), gets going with Miley Cyrus’s Party in the USA, and fuels her post-game recovery with a steak burger loaded with salad, beetroot and BBQ sauce. Her pre-game mindset is just as focused: do your job, not everyone else’s.

Off the field, Shayla keeps it simple — gym, work, and family. She has a hidden talent that not many props can claim: a back walkover into the worm. She admires Stephanie Hancock, Mariah Denman and Millie Boyle, has Switzerland, Paris and Greece on the bucket list, and — in her own words — if she wasn’t playing football, she’d be doing nothing. At least she’s honest about it.

#OnTheField

Position: Prop

Junior Club: Norths Knights

What’s your first memory playing rugby league? Playing with the boys at school.

Who introduced you to the game? My Grade 5 PE teacher, Eric Smyth.

Career Highlight: Winning Confro with my TCC team in 2023.

Pre-Game Ritual/Superstition: Eggs on toast for breakfast — preferably with avocado.

Most Memorable Game: Grand final of Confro 2023.

What’s the biggest lesson footy has taught you? Footy isn’t just a game — it builds routine, discipline and accountability.

What advice would you give to young players starting out in footy? No one can do it for you.

 

#OffTheField

If you weren’t a footballer, what would you be? Nothing.

Childhood Hero: Stephanie Hancock.

Favourite Game-Day Pump-Up Song: Party in the USA — Miley Cyrus.

Hobbies: Working, gym.

Favourite Post-Game Meal: Steak burger with salad, beetroot and BBQ sauce.

Hidden Talent: Back walkover into the worm.

Best Advice You’ve Ever Received: Do your job, not everyone else’s.

Favourite Holiday Destination: Sunshine Coast.

Dream Team You’d Love to Play For: Broncos.

Dream Player You’d Love to Play With: Stephanie Hancock — if she wasn’t retired.

 

#CaprasTop3

Game Day Snacks: Banana, muesli bar, Powerade.

Movies of All Time: 10 Things I Hate About You, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man.

Meals: Chicken burgers, sushi, steak.

Sporting Idols: Stephanie Hancock, Mariah Denman, Millie Boyle.

Bucket List Destinations: Switzerland, Paris, Greece.

Things You Can’t Live Without: Family, phone, food.

Worst Drills at Training: Touch, bronco, ground work in conditioning.

Embarrassing Moments on the Field: Getting bumped off, tripping over, getting stepped.

 

#TeamTalk

Who is the team pest? Taila M.

Who takes the longest to get ready? Tiaan.

Who would you not want to be stuck on a desert island with? Josie.

Who is the best dressed on the team? Tiaan.

Who is the biggest joker on the team? Mariah.