JCU PhD candidate key to Cowboys NRLW team

Working as the Sports Science Analyst for the club's female team, Ms Di Bella works closely with the players and coaching staff to ensure these standout female athletes are performing at their best in this elite competition.

She is embedded with the team and helps guide them through training sessions and home and away games as she pores over GPS data on running speed, distance covered and positioning to track player performance, recovery from injuries and help inform team selections.

"I actually fly the drone during training, so we capture footage that the coaches then review afterwards," she said.

"So after a session we're uploading data and then reviewing what kilometres the players have run, who's run fast, who needs to run faster that week, and just highlighting different areas for the coaching staff.

"I'll also work with our physio, and if a player has been coming back from an injury, say a hamstring injury, they obviously need to be running close to the speed that they were running before they were injured and tick some other boxes before they come back.

"There are a lot of communications around that as well as discussions about training load monitoring and what sort of intensity or volume we should be looking at that week."

Her connection with the Cowboys began in 2018 when she was elected for an internship while studying her Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Science and has continued over the years to be hugely beneficial for both parties.

"It was part of our placement subject where a few students could apply and I really enjoyed being a part of the NRL setup, so I hung around the year after that as well," she said.

"When I finished my honours degree, I went down the research pathway and that was about the time when the women's team started up.

"They were looking for an analyst, and I wanted to do my PhD on female athletes so it all just aligned perfectly and I'm loving being involved with the NRLW side."

Her passion for the women's game is guiding her PhD, which will look at the professional pathways for top female rugby league juniors to make the transition to the professional game.

Her PhD, which she is aiming at submitting in mid 2026, will also focus on the steps that young players should be taking to best equip themselves for the rigours of training and playing at the highest level.

"I'm currently doing a survey that's looking at our junior athletes and what training and playing opportunities junior males have compared to junior females and just trying to highlight the barriers that exist," she said.

"So that's about what we can do as a club to help our pathways and ensure we've got top level talent coming through.

"I'll also be examining the actual physical attributes, so comparing the strength, power, speed, and sport-specific skills like their tackle proficiency or passing ability of pathway players and what sort of training they need to be doing to get to the next level."

After serving as an on-field sports trainer during the 2023 NRLW season, Ms Di Bella now watches games with the coaches and examines live stats, a role where she has enjoyed the guidance of a leader in that field, JCU Senior Lecturer, Sport and Exercise Science Wade Sinclair.

Mr Sinclair has been involved with the Cowboys in a wide range of sport science roles since 2010, and the current performance analyst for both the Cowboys and the Queensland Maroons said he was excited to see Ms Di Bella's rise up the ranks.

"I think I am most excited by the different lens Larissa is bringing to her research. Her experience ranges from the NRL side to her own coaching in local women's sport and provides great insight into the barriers and facilitators within our region," he said.

"The sport science collaboration between JCU and the Cowboys is long running and continues to flourish, so I guess it is up to us to keep our end of the bargain up off the field when it comes to contributing to the teams' successes.

"Larissa is at the coal face for that with the NRLW side and she is a great asset to JCU, the Cowboys and women working in a sport where it is still difficult for women to excel."