Rugby, rugby league war: Coach calls for talk between women’s NRLW, Super W clubs

This coach believes women’s rugby and league will cannibalise each other unless they play their off field games differently to the men. And he’s got an idea of how it can be done.

A number of Waratahs players have moved across to rugby league and the NRLW in recent times.

Waratahs coach Campbell Aitken has already lost six players to the expanding NRLW in the past year and is sure more will follow.

But he believes the tide can be stemmed and the level of both games lifted to new heights with more communication between rugby union and NRLW clubs.

Head of one of the most successful women's football teams in any code with a winning record of 93 per cent, Aitken believes, rugby and league can and need to “do it differently to the men’s game” currently engaged in a war of words over talent like Joseph Suuaalii and coexist to bolster women’s football across the board.

“It’s a threat (the NRLW expansion) because there’s just not enough players to cover both codes,’’ Aitken said.

“We need to find a way to coexist and allow the players to pursue their dreams of being pro players in both leagues.

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Margot Vella in action for the Waratahs. She is now with an NRLW club

“Until the player base expands we could end up cannibalising each other.’’

Aitken is calling for more communication between the two codes and potentially a forum involving all clubs in both sports.

“The rivalry like in the men’s doesn’t exist in the women’s game. We can do it differently to the way the men do,’’ he said.

“We have to put our players first. I’d like to see them play across two competitions. It would build a better footballer and that would benefit both the Wallaroos and the Jillaroos.

“We have to open the lines of communication. I’d like to see the clubs get together in a forum and discussing it and having an open chat about it, how we can coexist, how we can amend our contracts, and built up a better player base.

A number of Waratahs players have moved across to rugby league and the NRLW in recent times.

“I want women’s sport to be really successful. We have to find a way to work together and we could put a time frame on it of say 2026 or 2027.

“We don’t have that massive competition the men do. Why can’t we coexist?’’

While he has lost XV’s players including Margot Vella, Pauline Pilia’e, Emma Koster, Mahalia Murphy, Ella Ryan and young development player Bronte Wilson to rugby league in the past year, Aitken is confident the Waratahs have plenty of youngsters waiting in the wings to fill the gap thanks to a strong pathway.

Meretiana Robinson of the Rebels is tackled by Sera Naiqama of the Waratahs and Ella Ryan of the Waratahs during a Super W match this season.

He also believes rugby has its own attractions, offering women a unique opportunity to travel the world as Wallaroos or be playing Sevens in an Olympic arena.

The NSW Waratahs are also a major feeder club to the Australian women’s rugby teams.

“The Waratahs Women have only lost three games in 30 and we’ve never been beaten by a domestic team,’’ said Aitken of the Waratahs three losses to Fijiana Drua across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

“We have 23 players in the Wallaroos pony squad and 18 at the World Cup last year. That’s more than half the squads.’’

Aitken has previously also called for the expansion of the Super W competition to include teams from New Zealand to strengthen it and give players more games.

The NRLW is expanding to 10 team in 2023 with the new teams the Sydney clubs Cronulla and Wests TIgers along with the Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys.

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