Shake-up of NSW women’s competition gives short-term pain for long-term gain for Origin stars

It will be short-term pain for long-term gain as women’s rugby league wrangles with a growth period that will affect State of Origin players in 2024.

It’s a small shift that will have a huge knock on effect for women’s rugby league in 2024.

The relocation of NSWRL’s Harvey Norman women’s premiership was quietly announced last week. The change aligns the senior state competition with the NRLW, which is due to kick off in July.

It means there’ll be an acting reserve grade for the first time in the women’s game, which is expected to boost the quality of the NRLW and strengthen pathways to the top.

However, it leaves a glaring gap given NSW is without any senior football to be played before a newly expanded three-game State of Origin series in May-June next season, which is causing concern among the playing group.

NSWRL head of football Yvette Downey admits that while the women’s calendar is not ideal yet, there’s a bigger picture in play.

“There’s reasons why everything is where it is, but we’re in a growth phase where we need to limp a little before we can run,” she said.

NSW and Queensland will finally do battle in a three-game women’s Origin series next year. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

HOW IT WORKS

Statistics from NSWRL show half of Harvey Norman premiership players were given an NRLW contract last season, which makes up 61 per cent of total NRLW contracted players.

Those numbers have remained steady over the past few years, prompting the NSWRL decision to bite the bullet and shift the women’s senior competition for 2024 – an inevitable move for the long-term growth of the game.

“I said to our board, ultimately, that if we don’t do something to allow more girls to come into that reserve grade level, we’re not going to be able to have expansion in the NRLW because we’re just recycling the same girls,” Downey explained.

“For every other reason other than Origin, it’s a really brave decision from our board but I believe it’s the right decision.

“If we move to 12 teams or 14 in the NRLW, we’re going to have to keep filling that demand.

“That was the catalyst for the decision, pitching Harvey Norman in its rightful position as a reserve grade to NRLW because we shouldn’t be expecting Isabelle Kelly and Emma Tonegato to be playing every single level of the game, we don’t expect that of our elite males.”

Lisa Fiaola Cup (under-17s) and Tarsha Gale Cup (under-19s) will kick off in February allowing better access for players to progress through to the open seniors level in July.

It’s forced changes to the contracting model too, with players now contracted to one NRLW club for both grades, eliminating confusion for fans and clearing up responsibility for clubs.

Mounties celebrate their win in the Harvey Norman Women's Premiership grand final. Picture: Thomas Lisson

ORIGIN PLANS

Players complained of a lack of game time ahead of Origin I earlier this year which affected the quality of the opening match of the series.

It will be another concern, especially for NSW in 2024, but it won’t last forever with expansion on the horizon in coming seasons.

“If we all had a blank sheet of paper, I don’t think anyone would pencil the women’s calendar out the way it is,” Downey said.

“We start the elite women’s year with Origin and then they go into their competition.

“But it is what it is. It’s a really tough one where we all have to work together at all levels of the game.”

Plans are being finalised for an extended training period to prepare the 20-25 NSW Origin players ahead of game one, which is scheduled for May 16 at Suncorp Stadium.

There’s also the possibility of trial games in an extended Harvey Norman pre-season.

“Ideally the best environment to have them coming out of would be the NRLW,” Downey said.

“It just lifts them to that level and skill of that Origin series, and hopefully at some stage we’ll have a full NRLW season and Origin will sit in the middle of that.”

QUEENSLAND IMPACT

It’s anticipated some elite NSW players will relocate north in early 2024 for QRL’s BMD Premiership looking for game time.

The QRL is not yet ready to shift the timing of their competition, which is expected to kick off in March as normal.

Queensland’s pathways are slightly behind NSW and withdrawing NRLW players from the competition to create a complete reserve grade would have a detrimental impact on the community pathways across the state.

It’s hoped within the next few years QRL and NSWRL will run both senior women’s comps as one reserve grade to the NRLW.

“The players understand the reasoning behind it, the clubs are supporting it,” Downey said.

“There’s a big question mark around the elite girls who are feeling like they need to play some sort of footy, or something to make sure they’re Origin ready for the girls who will be at that level.”