Rugby league could fast track a women’s comp to launch off the World Cup

THE question of the right time for the NRL to introduce a formal women’s comp started rumbling last week and it would seem rugby league is in danger of falling behind.

Cronulla Sharks Botille Vette-Welsh during their game against St George in Round 3. Picture: Brett Costello

THE question of the right time for the NRL to introduce a formal women’s comp started rumbling last week.

The AFLW is still taking in the success of its inaugural season; the WBBL is revelling in continued growth in the game and player salaries; and netball has professionalised further and settled on Australian shores.

It would seem rugby league is in danger of falling behind.

When NRL CEO Todd Greenberg was asked during the week how far off a women’s competition was his answer that the numbers weren’t there and they weren’t sure what it would look like didn’t offer much comfort.

But the interest in women’s rugby league is there.

The Jillaroos v Kiwi Ferns matches at the Auckland Nines have raised the profile of the women’s game and Test matches broadcast delayed on Channel 9 the past two years have had more than 100,000 viewers.

Jillaroos matches have proved popular among fans and television viewers.

The AFLW showed it doesn’t have to be perfect. That competition was brought forward three years — from 2020 to 2017 — because the public reaction to exhibition games was so strong. Clubs had just months to pull together the infrastructure.

Cronulla Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman, who helped set up the Western Sydney Wanderers in just three months and has worked on the W-League and women’s Big Bash, believes rugby league could do the same and has the perfect springboard for a competition at the end of this year

“I think why not? We had this driving force in our club [the Sharks] last year that was the hashtag ‘why not us’, well why can’t we?” Gorman said.

“The opportunity for real legacy on the back of the women’s World Cup this year…

“It should be a great turbo charge shouldn’t it? In the whole area and promotion of elite athletes playing rugby league.

The Aussie women defeated the Kiwis in the nines for the first time this year. Pic Mark Evans

“The legacy of it should be to really start to uplift our focus on the women’s game at all levels, from elite players down.”

Cronulla took matters into their own hands this year, contracting female players to the club and assembling a squad to train throughout the year and play nines-format exhibition matches at Sharks home games.

The opposition teams are playing under NRL club banners.

Gorman understands the NRL wants to do it right, but believes if it’s made a priority, it could be fast-tracked.

“There are a whole lot of things around making sure it’s strategic in its approach, not just from the hip,” he said.

“There’s a whole raft of questions that need to be framed and answered so that it does have integrity at all levels … We have a lot of history in professional sport in Australia now around women in cricket, AFL, soccer, where there are models there that we should be able to use to inform that debate and you’d like to think that we could probably accelerate that process rather than let it take a couple of years.”

The AFLW showed it doesn’t have to be perfect to be a success. Picture: Tom Huntley

A workshop on women’s rugby league will be held this week. The NRL, state organisations and RLPA will examine where the women’s game is at but it is not intended to devise a plan for an elite competition.

Their cautious approach is understandable, as they work to build participation numbers and establish pathways.

Participation is growing in Sydney and country areas (about 30 per cent from 2015 to 2016) and players at the top level, at least, are happy to wait while those continue to increase.

“For me, it’s women in sport, it’s the whole lot! It doesn’t matter really,” said Indigenous All Stars and Jillaroos veteran Rebecca Young.

“It’ll catch those people who are passionate for rugby league and want to stick to rugby league.

“I really think 13-a-side should be the focus and until we can get those numbers and the drawcard then that’s when we’ll move to that NRL-type competition.”

The Sharks put together a women's team of their own accord at the end of last year, a squad that includes Jillaroos Sam Bremner, Ruan Sims and Allana Ferguson. Pic: Gregg Porteous

Gorman says the Sharks are keen to be a part of the planning for the women’s game and that it’s not about competing with other codes, but capitalising on an area with massive potential.

“I also see it as a game changer. I see it as a real opportunity to uplift the brand of rugby league,” he said.

“The opportunity to shift from just being about male-dominated participation to a real social hub of a community where it embraces our tackle for girls and boys but also touch football or league touch.

“There’s a whole lot of reasons why I think we can move on this now.

“That’s not for me to tell the NRL how to run their business and how to set up policy but certainly we’d love to be part of that discussion and debate and bringing our experience to the table.”