Bec Judd, Nadia Bartel ‘too fabulous to be relatable’

A former NRL wife says AFL queens Bec Judd and Nadia Bartel are too polished to be relatable like NRL WAGs.

Former NRL WAG Mel Hoffman says Nadia Bartel and Rebecca Judd are ‘too fabulous to be relatable’.

Mel Hoffman has lifted the lid on WAG life with a debut novel about her experiences as the wife of Melbourne Storm star Ryan Hoffman.

Hoffman details the funny, sad, intense and rewarding moments over the course of Ryan’s illustrious 16 year career before he retired in 2018.

She was prompted to put pen to paper after their five year-old son said he wants to follow in dad’s footsteps and play rugby league.

“It was really towards the end (of Ryan’s career) that I started to think about it in earnest because I had that reckoning of wow, this game has really shaped me and really took control of my life in a lot of ways,’’ Hoffman said.

Mel and Ryan Hoffman. Picture: Instagram

“I really wanted to not necessarily change this WAG narrative, but I wanted to diversify it and talk about how the life impacts the person and the partner as well. And just in telling my story it occurred to me how very human it is and how in some ways relatable it is as well.”

Despite touching on the hard times including scheduling their son’s birth between State of Origin commitments, Hoffman, who grew up in Melbourne, says she wants it to be a positive and a potential catalyst for change.

“I know there’s perceptions of players and partners but in the first instance by just offering a different perspective I hope that’s a positive thing,’’ she said.

“I’m really optimistic that by being honest about my experiences that it can have a more positive impact more broadly as well.”

Hoffman says she isn’t friends with any AFL WAGs but has always admired the likes of Bec Judd and Nadia Bartel, and likes to see women supporting women.

“I follow them absolutely, (but) I could never hope to emulate any of their style and poise,’’ Hoffman said.

“In a strange way they’re not relatable because they’re so fabulous and so stylish and so confident, but in other ways they are relatable because they’re just Aussie women and a lot of them are entrepreneurial and you’ve got to take your hat off to that.

Hoffman says Judd and Bartel are so stylish and confident.

“As women we’ve just got to make the most of the opportunities we have and as a fellow woman I’m really excited when I see them do well.

She added: “When I was young I feel like the WAG culture wasn’t really a thing yet.

“I remember seeing the Brownlow and loving seeing that and all the beautiful dresses and then as it became more of a thing I’m very happy for everybody to live their sporting life the way that they want to.

“If that’s taking advantage of opportunities to dress up and hang around with girls all the time then I think that’s wonderful. It’s not my cup of tea necessarily but I’m all for it.

“It’s a very tricky life so you do what you have to do to enjoy it. And I think that’s a really valid way of enjoying it as well.”

Full Credit to The Boys: A Cliche-Free Tale of Marrying into Footy, available from Booktopia online, Collins Booksellers, Dymocks and Big W.