NRLW 2022: Nita Maynard warns fellow players about off-field misbehaviour after her transgression

The enormous growth of the women’s game means players can no longer hide in anonymity when it comes to off-field scandals, says the first NRLW star to break the law.

Parramatta Eels NRLW hooker and the RLPA Player Operations Manager, Nita Maynard. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Six months on from being the first NRLW player to break the law, Nita Maynard admits the rise of the women’s game means players must be ready to accept the consequences for off-field misbehaviours.

Maynard was fined almost $3000 earlier this year for assaulting two security guards and failing to leave a Sydney pub during a night out in May.

The 29-year-old, who has since signed with expansion club Parramatta, avoided further sanction from the NRL on a technicality, given she was off-contract at the time.

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Nita Maynard reveals her regret for grabbing an unwanted first for an NRLW player.

But the incident cost Maynard more than money.

“That was a first for an NRLW (player) to be in trouble with the law. And nobody wants to be that person,” Maynard says.

“People look up to you, and I also have a young daughter. You wouldn’t put yourself in those situations on purpose, but I was highly embarrassed.”

Speaking for the first time about the incident, Maynard can see a silver lining.

Asked whether the steady growth of the women’s game since the league’s inception in 2018 means players can no longer hide in anonymity when it comes to off-field scandals, she said: “One hundred per cent.”

Especially when they’re months away from kicking off negotiations into a new collective bargaining agreement that could drastically alter the course of women’s rugby league.

Maynard played for the Blues against the Maroons in 2018.

It’s a critical, yet personal message Maynard will be conveying in her new role as an NRLW player operations manager for the Rugby League Players Association.

“I don’t think anybody would’ve known about me before that incident,” she says.

“But, coming out the back of it, you have to look past it and make sure you understand the severity of the outcome.

“You don’t want to be putting a bad light on the women’s game when we’re growing and fighting for these rights.

“Coming into a role like this, I now understand the importance of how to have the women’s game come across. We have responsibilities as players when we’re out in public.

“People now look up to us.”

Maynard in action for the NZ Maori Ferns against the Indigenous All Stars.

Maynard’s reminder comes ahead of a 2022 calendar that shapes as the biggest show of women’s rugby league in its history.

An All Stars clash will be quickly followed by the postponed 2021 season, the State of Origin game in June, a second premiership in September, before closing the year with the World Cup.

Lifting the trophy for New Zealand could be the perfect way to end Maynard’s playing career, which has included two grand final appearances with the Sydney Roosters.

“I’ve got a daughter, she’s eight now,” she says.

“Over the weekend she had her first nippers carnival and I couldn’t make it because I was at my own wellbeing day for Parramatta.

“I’ll miss out on her OzTag nationals which is on the same weekend as All Stars.”

Maynard is relishing her role with the RLPA.

Maynard is hoping to leave a legacy long after she hangs up the boots.

From locking in key dates, ensuring training fields are of a high standard, or merely being a presence at the players’ union, Maynard is determined to make her mark.

“Having an ear to the ground and being a player now, I offer good opinion and understanding. The RLPA are player-driven, cover everything to do with well-being and support,” she says.

“And there’s so many things in the women’s game that get thrown under the rug.

“You’re told just to be grateful. But being in this role has given me an opportunity to speak as a current player but help develop for the future.”

Originally published as NRLW 2022: Nita Maynard warns fellow players about off-field misbehaviour after her transgression