2022 State Police Carnival: NSW Police Rugby League event gets under way in Tamworth on Sunday

Five women's and eight men's teams will contest the annual tournament run by the NSW Police Rugby League (NSWPRL).

The event has brought together around 430 officers.

The women kick-off the five-day carnival on Sunday afternoon with two matches.

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The men's competition gets underway on Monday and will conclude with a grand final on Thursday.

In the two women's games on Sunday, Macarthur beat Easts 8-0 while Country South downed Country North 16-4.

"It's our first year for women's teams and we're really looking forward to it - especially the fact we'll finally get an inaugural women's champion," NSWPRL vice-president Rod Sheraton said.

The men's competition for policemen has been running since the late 1960s.

"Last year we did have our women's City-Country representative game out at Mudgee," Sheraton said.

"That first taste of women's rugby league was really successful, so it's a natural progression to get women playing in our state carnival.

"The women involved have been busy recruiting teammates ever since, so to get five teams up and running is pretty exciting."

It depends on where officers work, or where they are stationed, as to which team they play for.

"So, each of our eight regions in the state has geographical boundaries and you can recruit from anywhere within those boundaries," Sheraton said.

"For our City-Country game it's where you went to high school that determines your team."

Players will be vying for selection in the respective sides for the May 15 games at Leichhardt Oval.

The local interest will be with the Geoff Sharpe co-coached Country North Cowboys, who last year reached the semi-finals for the first time for a number of years.

Lead by former Gold Coast under-20s player and NSW representative last year Jack Durheim, they are being tipped as a potential dark horse.

Sheraton said the standard of plays is usually quite high with a lot of the teams boasting players with NSWRL of QRL experience.

Last year's player of the tournament, David Farkhas, played under-20s for the Panthers in the NRL's former Toyota Cup, and he played NSW Cup with the Windsor Wolves.

Former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks NSW Cup player Haydn Peacock is now playing for his police team, along with brothers Dane and Jackson Clarke, who were with the Tweed Head Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.

The Macarthur Bulls coach is former Canterbury-Bankstown prop Mitch Newton.

Former NRL referee Sean Hampstead will handle some games and will also co-ordinate all the referees, who are NSWRL-accredited.

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