NRLW players will finally get the security of signing deals for this season after head office agreed to open the contracting window for 2023.
Under an agreement struck by the NRL and Rugby League Players' Association, clubs will be able to officially sign players for the season from Wednesday.
It is expected to start a frenzy of movement, with four new sides in the league for this year's 10-team competition.
The NRL and RLPA agreed to the financial terms for the women's collective bargaining agreement in February, but spent the past six weeks hammering out the finer conditions of bridging deals.
Clubs have spent the past five months talking with players and making verbal offers, but until this point none have been legally binding.
The news comes too late for at least one player, with rookie Tayla Curtis having a two-year offer at St George Illawarra worth $64,000 gone to waste when she ruptured her ACL this month.
Almost every other player has been training and playing in state competitions with the same risk hanging over their head, creating significant stress and anxiety.
When clubs begin signing on Wednesday, they will have a $900,000 salary cap to work with for their 24-woman squad, which will go out to $1,518,000 by 2027.
The minimum contract will be $30,000, and that will go up to $50,600 by the end of the agreement in 2027.
"We are extremely excited to be officially opening the contract window for the 2023 NRL Women's Premiership," NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.
"This is a watershed moment for rugby league.
"We are pleased to have agreed the key terms of the NRLW contracting model with the RLPA and clubs resulting in a landmark new salary cap, minimum wage and player benefits."
A draw for this year's nine-round regular season and two-week finals series will be released next week, with the competition to begin on the weekend of July 22-23.
AAP has been told further expansion is most likely to come in 2025, with the likelihood the competition will grow to 12 teams.
"I would like to thank the entire NRLW playing group for their determination and commitment to securing strong payments, benefits, and entitlements for current and future players," RLPA CEO Clint Newton said.
"The new NRLW contracting structure will play a significant role in retaining and recruiting the best talent, helping with the continual growth in participation and exposure for the women's game."
A game-wide collective bargaining agreement is closer to being finalised, after the men's one expired last November and rolled over.
The players' union had at times threatened strike action during the prolonged negotiations, but last weekend ended a boycott on NRL promotions that had stood since January.
