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Warriors Woman skipper Apii Nicholls has spoken out about the sacrifices her part-time players are making to play in the NRLW.

They open their season against the defending champion Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

The fullback is a police officer by trade, and will have to balance working four days a week and raising two kids with training, travel and games.

Nicholls has told The Big League Podcast juggling jobs to make ends meet comes at a cost.

“Monday to Thursday, I work normal business hours - 7am to 3pm - and then we kick off at 4pm at the Warriors. On top of that, I have to drop the kids off to school.

“Just trying to spend some time with them is really tough because we’re trying to juggle all these things and it can be taxing on the body.”

Nicholls said managing multiple jobs is the reality for most of their players.

The squad is relatively young and features a number of cross-code stars, including two-time sevens Olympic gold medallist Michaela Brake.

Nicholls said Brake has spent plenty of time on the world stage.

“She is very experienced and professional. It does lift our team confidence because she brings so much value. We’re really, really lucky to have her.”

Nicholls also has experience in another code, having played two seasons for the Chiefs Manawa in Super Rugby Aupiki.

The 32-year-old admits over half the team have never played league before.

“They have so much energy and we’re just so connected that it makes us quite different. They’re really skilful, talented; we’ve got speed. The rugby girls just bring so much strength into our team.”