‘We don’t need them’: Gold Coast Titans NRLW star Georgia Hale’s call to arms against vile Julia Robinson trolls
It is a game considered for all, with an All Abilities spectacle taking place in the region speaking to that. But in response to a series of vile trolls attempting to tear down a current star, a Gold Coast star has made a strong call to arms.
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“We don’t need them as supporters in our game.”
With that declaration, Titans NRLW star Georgia Hale has slammed the social media warriors who have lashed players across the code for their appearance.
The Kiwi Fern’s defiant stance comes in the aftermath of the vile comments served up to Brisbane Broncos star Julia Robinson, a founding member of the powerhouse outfit.
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When a photo circulated on the Broncos Facebook page of the outside back at training, sporting her powerful physique in a singlet, a series of statements were posted in response attempting to label her a man.
“He’s going to be a good player,” one person wrote. “Yuck, looks like a woman trapped in a man’s body,” another followed.
To Robinson’s credit, her retort was brilliant, taking the high road and calling on no woman to ever feel ashamed or self conscious simply to have muscles.
However not all young girls can possess the mental fortitude of a defence force member by day and an elite athlete by night, with the disgraceful comments sure to hinder many from becoming part of rugby league’s push to usher in a wave of prospective grassroots talent.
Hale, an ambassador for the Tweed Seagulls in growing girls footy on the Gold Coast, praised her NRLW rival for the way she handled the situation, while affirming anyone who felt the need to dish out such insults had no place supporting the code.
She said the trendsetters of the NRLW needed to tune out the crude white noise for both their own sakes and that of the next generation they were seeking to inspire in order to grow the sport from juniors through to the professional plateaus.
“It’s not the first time we’ve seen such negative comments, but our girls are such tough nuts not only on the field but it translates to our make up as humans,” Hale said.
“We’re trying to create pathways and inspire our young girls and boys to want to be rugby league players, showing the rugby league environment and community is a safe space for everybody, so we want to push those negative comments away from it.
“I guess we’ve seen a bit over the years I’ve been involved in the game, but I think our girls are just so resilient and strong and it hasn’t really had too much effect on them as individuals in our game.
“It’s inspiring future generations to come, if there’s a small group not on board we don’t need them as supporters in our game.
“We’ll continue to be pioneers of this game and leave legacies for our next generations. It brings our players down a bit, but the pride we produce week in and out and the way the game has grown over the last few years is inspiring.”
Hammering home the message that rugby league is a game for one and all, the Seagulls will take part in a groundbreaking initiative by hosting their first All Abilities contest.
An area of the game which the Titans have worked diligently to grow, the clash will take place prior to Tweed’s Queensland Cup clash against the Townsville Blackhawks on Saturday at Piggabeen.
All proceeds taken at the gate on the day will be donated to Seagulls charity partners, The Preston Campbell Foundation and Ronald McDonald House, with an art show titled ‘Empower’— created by Momentum Collective’s NDIS participants — on display.
When Hale is not training, playing or conducting footy clinics she is working in disability support services, with some of her clients to take part in the weekend showcase.
While she would not be able to attend the Titans Together team’s appearance, as the versatile lock heads to Wollongong to take on the Dragons for their NRLW campaign launch on Sunday, she said the chance to grow rugby league into the disabilities space had already had a profound impact on those involved.
“I actually relate that closely to women’s rugby league; we went through a period where we didn’t have many people believing in us,” Hale said.
“It was a mission to get the game off the ground but with a bit of belief and support and showing our talents, given where our product is today it could be the same for people living with a disability.
“The physical component is the boys are running around keeping fit and healthy, working on their passing and catching, but then socially they’ve made friends and mentally and emotionally it’s a great support to so many.
“Rugby league is a game for everybody, we don’t shut doors on people wishing to play.”
The All Abilities match will kick off from 11am.
Meet the globetrotting Muay Thai ‘Pitbull’ out to unseat star recruit
— July 21
She is the cool, calm and collected globetrotting Muay Thai fighter seeking to unseat an NRLW champion. Emily Curtain has not come to the Gold Coast for a quick getaway.
As a fighter she donned the moniker ‘The Pitbull’, going on to win a pair of International Federation of Muay Thai Associations gold medals and four Australian titles as a teenager.
Now the 20-year-old rookie has joined Karyn Murphy’s Titans squad for the forthcoming season, and the halfback will pit herself against marquee recruit Lauren Brown for a shot at the number seven jumper.
Brown arrives on the Glitter Strip with a stacked sporting resume — a premiership with the Brisbane Broncos and Australian Rugby 7s caps all to her credit.
However Curtain has a secret weapon at her disposal which could differentiate her from other halves striving for their first chance at the elite level.
Equipped with her background in martial arts, Curtain admitted that any club she had gone to she had been among the upper echelon of defenders.
Given the Gold Coast finished third for missed tackles last campaign, while still edging their way to a semi-final appearance, that strength off the ball could be the difference between what proved to be their narrow loss and a grand final berth.
Despite hailing from New South Wales as a past member of the Parramatta Eels extended squad and a NSW Women’s Premiership winner with incoming outfit Wests Tigers, Curtain said throwing herself outside of her comfort zone fuelled the desire to join Murphy’s cause.
And even against the calibre of halfback in Brown she will come up against for a maiden NRLW appearance, she said the extra incentive to fight would be no barrier to her.
“I did Muay Thai when I was younger, which is Thai kickboxing, and we had to travel to Thailand quite a few times to fight over there. I like travelling and getting around,” Curtain said.
“In the backs I’m high up there with one of the better defenders (but) I’ll just be building my game (learning) off one of the greats. It was just the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people.
“Obviously living away from home that’s something I’m looking forward to – starting a new journey and hopefully going well in this competition.”
Curtain is no stranger to performing under pressure, with her most recent outing just a week ago earning the Tigers the NSW title.
A full-time score of 14-14 against the Sharks sent the rivals into extra time, and despite going down by a converted try a last gasp effort on the sideline have the youngster the chance to send it into golden point.
Slotting the attempt with apparent ease, Curtain then stepped up to take what was the victorious field goal, a play she was already familiar with having done so in the under-18s Tarsha Gale Cup.
Crucial to the recruitment of former Bronco Brown was the kicking game she came with, and while the 27-year-old won a premiership in Brisbane as a hooker, coach Murphy confirmed the champion had been brought to the Gold Coast as a halfback.
But the Jillaroos legend said based on Curtain’s exploits, the mantle which drew Brown to the Titans’ radar may not be hers for much longer.
“With Lauren initially she has been at the Broncos for a couple of years and played in the nine role there, but we were looking at building our halves up,” Murphy said.
“We’ve brought Lauren in to do that role, she has a very good kicking game – probably the best in the women’s comp, although I think (Emily) might have something to say about that.”
Legend’s plan to usher in next generation of Gold Coast stars
— July 19
Jillaroos legend Karyn Murphy has touched down on the Gold Coast with far more than an NRLW title on her mind.
For the women’s rugby league pioneer, she has plans mulling over how to inspire generations of players in the years to come.
Fresh off leading her first Titans training session, as the pre-season for the 2022 campaign began, Murphy spoke of her desire to foster a new wave of talent into the top level.
To do so, a strong local competition on the Glitter Strip is needed, and the former NRL Integrity Unit lead investigator confirmed part of her role would entail community outreach to develop the grassroots of the game.
Already Murphy has called in some of the region’s emerging stars, with current Keebra Park halfback Chantay Kiria-Ratu and teenage Burleigh hooker Lily-Rose Kolc among the bright-eyed rookies brought onto the club’s development list.
However for the Gold Coast to reach its full potential when it comes to the women’s code fully-fledged junior and senior competitions need to be created.
Plans are in the works to help bring these outlets to fruition, with the likes of the Currumbin Eagles — led by new Titans NRLW assistant coach Matt Geyer — preparing to introduce a women’s team of their own.
Schools in the region have also begun to open their doors to aspiring athletes, with Keebra Park fielding several teams in the Titans Schools League and Palm Beach Currumbin set to launch a Female Rugby League Sports Excellence program in 2023.
And 20-game State of Origin champion Murphy said fostering that growth would be key to her tenure.
“With the new role I’ve got at the Titans it’s identifying talent right through from the schools to the clubs and into some Academies with the ultimate goal of playing here at the NRLW level,” she said.
“It’s really important, we’ve got such a huge talent here in our region and we really want to keep these girls local and give them a definite pathway for the future.
“I’m only just starting here at the moment, but that’s definitely a big part of it – concentrating on NRLW over the next couple of months, but equally planning for that future and how we’re going to build that.”
When the Titans kick off their 2022 campaign against the Dragons on August 21, Murphy will in turn become just the second female coach to lead a side in the competition — following in the footsteps of Warriors inaugural mentor Luisa Avaiki.
With her first squad locked in, and 16 of last season’s 24 players returning to Titans HQ, Murphy’s appointment will also reunited her with an old teammate, as 40-year-old forward Steph Hancock prepares to go around for yet another season.
“It will be good to be back working with Steph, it’s probably an advantage – I know Steph’s game really well from playing alongside her,” Murphy said.
“We don’t talk about her age, it’s just all experience with Steph. Over the years she’s talked about retirement, but I’m certainly not going to call that on her.
“The season she had last year there’s no reason why she shouldn’t be back part of the squad this season.”
‘We deserve an opportunty’: Origin calls strength as legend left in the dark
— July 8
Queensland Maroons coach Tahnee Norris has called for the NRL to immediately overhaul the women’s State of Origin, as she revealed she was left in the dark over the decision to expand the series to two-games rather than three.
The former Burleigh Bears mentor featured in what was the second women’s interstate clash coached by two women — with her New South Wales counterpart Kylie Hilder coming away with an enthralling 20-14 win last Friday.
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Growth in the female space has been a huge initiative of rugby league’s governing body, with the NRLW fresh off its first expansion from four teams to six earlier this year.
Come 2023, a 10-team season featuring new sides — North Queensland, Wests Tigers, Canberra and Cronulla — will be rolled out in an 11 week campaign, the longest since the concept’s introduction in 2018.
Next year the women’s State of Origin will go from a stand-alone contest to a two-game series, following revelations in November that players would receive the same match payments as the men.
However Norris said for the game to truly take off a three-match rivalry needed to be accelerated to next year, lamenting she was at a loss as for the reasons why only one extra clash had been added.
She called on the NRL to reconsider the 2023 series length, while lamenting she has been left out of the loop as to why the idea has not been locked in.
“We’d like to know the answer as well to be honest. I think it’s a really good opportunity to put three on straight away next year, why go to two games when you could end up with a draw?” Norris said.
“We want to see it go to three games, it’s the best of the best and the quality of the game people saw last Friday night they want more of it and the girls deserve to be playing exactly the same as the men’s in the three game series.
“We haven’t been told why it hasn’t been pushed to three games. Both Kylie and I really want to see the three game series, we don’t want to end up next year with it one game apiece.
“You only have to look at what’s going to happen next week with the men’s Origin where it is one apiece and the decider becomes so important.
“It’s a sellout crowd at Suncorp Stadium, and I think we deserve the opportunity to get it to that stage.”
Norris already comes with plenty of coaching pedigree, having led Burleigh to the first QRLW premiership in 2021 after the inaugural competition was cancelled one game into the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s initial outbreak.
With new teams entering the NRLW, more and more chances for players and coaches alike have opened up and she expected to see several young faces who appeared at the Under-19 National Championships at Pizzey Park to earn their elite level stripes.
However at this stage, the former Jillaroo has ruled out an immediate move into coaching an NRLW outfit.
While Norris said in the future she would put her hand up for a role, her current focus was on not only seeing State of Origin through to a three-game system but lifting the shield as well.
She said as her role with Queensland Rugby League enabled her to balance leading the Maroons with harnessing the junior pathways for girls throughout the state she would not be looking to make a rushed decision on her coaching future.
“I’ve been given a really good opportunity at the QRL where they’ve expanded my role into not just Origin but into the pathways space as well,” Norris said.
“I’m in a full-time position which I’m really enjoying. In the future hopefully that’s where it goes, but at the moment Origin for me is the pinnacle of our sport and to be able to coach the women’s team I’m really privileged to be a part of that.
“I want to see it get to three games series and win a three-game series as well.”
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