Katrina Fanning Shield grand final to be held at GIO Stadium

The match will be played as a curtain-raiser ahead of the Canberra Raiders' clash against the Warriors on September 7, and will likely be one of the most-watched KFS matches ever.

This, Canberra Region Rugby League general manager Mark Vergano said, was indicative of the growing strength of the women's competition.

"I think the competitiveness is certainly on the up, the skill level is on the up," Vergano said.

"That is shown, we played two games at GIO this year and they were both very competitive."

He added that the final will be an ideal opportunity to "showcase the development of the women's tackle competition and the players".

Having begun three years ago and been dominated by the Queanbeyan Blues in its first season, the KFS has blossomed into a highly competitive division, as Vergano indicated.

In 2018, Goulburn, Yass, and Queanbeyan dominated the competition, while the rest of the field was never really in contention.

This year, though Yass are once again at the top of the ladder, the rest of the teams have drawn a lot closer and there is a genuine jostle for finals.

Yass Magpies coach, Josh Hardy, expressed his excitement about the possibility of playing the grand final on Canberra's biggest stage.

"It'd be awesome," Hardy said.

"I know the girls are really excited, they missed out on an opportunity to do that at the start of the year. If we get there, it'll be awesome.

"Whichever sides make the grand final, I'm sure it's a great opportunity."

While the competition has grown in quality and competitiveness, there are still challenges to be overcome in terms of consistency in numbers.

Of the seven teams to take the field this season, only Yass, Queanbeyan, and the Valley Dragons remain from 2018.

The Tuggeranong Buffaloes became the South Tuggeranong Knights, and subsequently had to be scratched from the competition due to a lack of numbers. Meanwhile Goulburn, the Queanbeyan Kangaroos, and the Gungahlin Bulls were replaced by the Boomanulla Buffaloes, the Bidgee Bulls, and the Harden Hawks.

The key to retaining teams and raising participation numbers, Vergano said, was to continue improving the pathways for junior women in rugby league, which have already had a noticeable impact.

"It can only get better," he said.

"[Three] years ago, when it first started, we had the four women's tackle teams. Now, across the three competitions, the 15s, the 18s, and the Katrina Fanning, we have around 20 teams. And that's just the tackle.

"In that time too, we went from six league tag teams to 16 teams in seniors, and we've still got a gap in the pathway."

But Vergano also pointed out that many of the new teams in the competition represented more regional areas which were previously unrepresented, and said that the CRRL drew support from these areas because of its commitment to the women's game and its role as a doorway to representative selection.

"People gravitated towards our competition because ... we're really the hub of the region," he said.

"Longer term, if there's a WNRL bid, this is the NRL club in the region. The closer you are to the CRRL, the closer you are to the Raiders."