GCDRU Off Season Hub: Bond University coach Set Naseri’s shock overseas move, calls for big women’s rugby change

He achieved everything he could leading his side in 2022, and now a top Gold Coast coach is about to embark on a shock venture. However as he departs, he has issued calls for change in the nation’s women’s rugby landscape.

As he prepares to embark on his greatest coaching journey yet, outgoing Bull Sharks mentor Setu Naseri believes a statewide rugby union competition could hold the secret to enabling the women’s space to thrive.

Naseri will pack his bags and move to China this weekend, where he will take the reigns of Rugby 7s outfit Heibei Province as the powerhouse nation seek to cement themselves of Olympic Games contenders.

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Having achieved everything he could in the Bond University women’s program — helping the side claim the Queensland Premier Rugby, National University 7s and Charlotte Caslick Cup titles last year — Naseri felt a lack of Australian pathways to further himself as a “career coach” had blocked his aspirations.And he said new competitions designed to enhance every region and provide avenues for higher levels of performance could be a factor that needs consideration.

Bond University's Setu Naseri has taken up a coaching opportunity in China. Picture: Cavan Flynn

“We have to get smarter around even our local competitions, can we manage it in our own districts or do we need to cross borders?” Naseri said.

“Rugby league will offer tiered competitions say for example the southeast corner or even the whole state. Rugby league have the QCup and even in the women’s space BMD, they’re playing teams up in far north Queensland, central Queensland.

“We may have to get to that point to make our competition stronger, but it needs to be the same level and infrastructure to sustain it.

“I felt like my pathway was blocked, there’s not the amount of opportunities for an aspiring coach to move on to. This opportunity (moving to China) has come at the right time.”

Naseri hopes his stint in China will open the doors for higher levels of coaching down the line; ideally returning to Australia once enough professional pathways are created.

In the meantime, the self-confessed lover of Southeast Asian culture was eager for the journey he and his family would take on in a bid to make his dreams of elite coaching a reality.

"I suppose the opportunity to coach full time in a program, similar to Bond where I’d developed the next athletes for the elite pathways, it was too good an opportunity to turn down," Naseri said.

"They’re like many AIS’s set up over China that house a number of their Olympic sports and facilities ... it's feeding into the national programs. 

"I think there’s 14 provinces that take part in the 7s program, and where I’m going to the province has been around middle of the table and they’re looking at aspirations of being top two or three in the country.

"I see myself as a career coach but it’s been a long time coming. It’s taken a little bit to push myself outside my comfort zone, but it seems like a really good place to start.

"I’ll keep building my experience and growth in the women’s side of rugby and maybe come to Australia when there’s a few more opportunities and share."

However for that to occur, he said immediate changes needed to be made in the women’s rugby landscape to starve off poaching raids from codes with stronger funding in place — namely the NRLW and AFLW.

Naseri said the Bull Sharks all-conquering 2022 season was actually one of their hardest in terms of player retention.

For no clash during the campaign were they able to field the same starting 15, given the young stars in their midst were often aligned with sporting scholarship in other codes.

Earlier this month Rugby Australia announced Super W players would be paid for the first time, with each athlete to receive a minimum of $4000 for the season in addition to any top ups from the five clubs.

While a positive step, the amount is still bellied by that of the AFLW (minium $39,184) and the NRLW ($37,500 as per the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions).

Naseri said it was “heartening” to see Rugby Australia’s commitment to a funding model further, but immediate growth needed to be accelerated or risk union’s gap with their rival football codes widening.

Setu Naseri believes new competitions and player funding needed to be accelerated or risk continuing to lose rugby union's best talent to rival codes. Picture: Cavan Flynn

“I suppose it’s growing that to be able to not only attract but keep the talent,” Naseri said.

“We’ve lost a lot of talent to rugby league because their resourcing provides ample opportunity for female athletes.

“When you’re juggling study, family, work, home and footy those that provide the best packages are generally going to win those battles.

"The 2016 Olympics had a massive barring on female sport in this country, it was the arrival of professional sport. But I think the other codes, especially those with really good support like AFL and rugby league have really moved ahead of rugby in that space.

“I noted (new Wallabies coach) Eddie Jones spoke in his recent interview with Phil Gould that a Kerry Packer style revolution in terms of funds coming into the game is imperative.

“Especially when you’ve got two World Cups and an Olympics on your doorstep, there’s no better time than these next 10 years to take advantage of those opportunities to promote our game.”