Women's NRL final should be later in day

NRL should have made NRL women's grand final main curtain raiser to Storm and Roosters men.

STAR FORWARD: Steph Hancock, of the Broncos, is tackled during an NRL Women's Premiership match in Melbourne. Picture: DANIEL POCKETT

Opinion - SportsView with Gerard Walsh

THE biggest change in sport in the past two years has been the recognition of women's sport as an important part of the footy codes.

While football and rugby have had national competitions for women for some time, the first AFL competition was played at the start of last season, and the first NRLW will finish with a grand final on Sunday.

I don't get it that rugby league officials have put the women's game on at 1.35pm as a pre-runner to the national Intrust Super Cup final at 3.40pm and the NRL grand final at 7.20pm.

I just assumed the NRLW game would be the main curtain raiser to the Storm/Roosters game.

I don't intend to play down the importance of the super cup final as it is a game between the best clubs outside of the NRL.

But it is a big ask to encourage fans to the footy to watch the women at 1.35pm and be still there at 7.20pm when the men's NRL final starts.

Steketee form

GOOD to see Warwick paceman Mark Steketee leads the Queensland Bulls bowlers in the first two games of the one-day season.

Steketee took four wickets against Victoria and another four against Tasmania.

With two Bulls pacemen in the Test squad, Steketee may have entered into the selectors' discussions already.

Originally published as Women's NRL final should be later in day