Women in the ‘big leagues’

Girls and young women across the country will have more chances of making the big time after the Australian Rugby League Commission approved the expansion of elite women’s rugby league last week. The ARLC approved the expansion of the NRLW premiership, women’s State of Origin, and the introduction of a salary cap system to increase player salaries.

By 2024, 10 teams will compete in the NRLW premiership season, with team licenses to be announced later this year. Women’s rugby league has seen a huge increase in popularity over the past five years, with women’s and girls’ teams reflecting the biggest growth areas for local-level rugby league.

The ARLC has committed to investing in female pathways to ensure that the talent pool continues to grow.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said the commission is committed to a sustainable growth strategy of the women’s game from grassroots participation to the elite level.

“Today is not just about the elite game, it’s also about building stronger participation and path- ways,” said Mr Abdo.

“The commission is focussed on building the women’s game from the bottom up. Not just encouraging more participation as players but also more female coaches and female referees. Right across the game we will continue to work to create pathways for women regardless of whether they want to play, coach, referee or be an administrator.”

The Western Women’s Rugby League competition was established in 2018 and has shown promising growth since.

With five teams playing in the current season, which ends this weekend, players are travelling from across the region to play full-contact league. Ex-Castlereagh Cougars player Mia Taylor is particularly excited to see the expansion of the NRLW competition.

Miss Taylor has worked her way through the grass-roots rugby league system and was selected in the 2022 Wests Tigers NSWRL Tarsha Gale Squad. She said that the growth in rugby league since she was a child has been extensive and she’s excited to see the changes come into place while she is in the elite pathway system.

“It’s definitely expanding a lot more pathways for young girls and people who are already in the system to try and get to that level. Adding these new teams just provides more pathways.”

Part of the expansion program includes an up to 28 per cent salary increase for players, including the ability to contract two full-time marquee players. While still not on-par with the men’s competition, introducing full-time contracts for some players is a good indication on what may be to come.

“Men get to play full-time, so it’s actually giving girls an opportunity. There are girls out there whose dream is to be a full-time athlete but don’t have that chance because it isn’t offered, but now it’s really starting to open up,” said Miss Taylor. “It’s not just a dream, it’s a reality.”

Miss Taylor isn’t just looking from the outside in though, she is living and breathing the expansion of women’s league in NSW.

Playing in the Tarsha Gale Cup this year, she said the expansion to 12 junior teams reflects the increased talent pool.

“You see the level these girls play at, it’s a lot different to what we’re used to out west. Having 12 junior teams opens up a lot of players to pick from and really shows the talent a lot of these girls have. They can really push to make NRLW a full-time job for women,” she said.

When she first started to play footy Miss Taylor didn’t have the option to play tackle so opted for league tag instead. Eventually she joined the Far West Academy through their league tag program but as tackle increased in popularity, she moved into their tackle program.

“Far West Academy in the past two years or so have started a tackle program for the girls. I went through that and the amount of times I went to Sydney and Newcastle, we’d play games against city teams and meet NRL players.

“You were given a lot of opportunities in that system.”

It’s not just players at the national competition level that Miss Taylor is looking up to, but coaching staff also. In August last year Trangie-local Jess Skinner was announced as assistant coach for the Newcastle Knights inaugural NRLW team.

“She coached me a lot, and to see her at the Knights, it shows that even though you’re from out here, you can make it.”

Women like Ms Skinner have been key in the push for expansion of women’s league in the west. In 2018 she received the NRL Women in League Achievement Award for her dedication to women’s rugby league across western NSW.

That drive is being pushed through the entire system, said Miss Taylor.

“I’ve definitely noticed playing in this system there’s a push to try and get women’s sport on the big stage. There’s a push for it to be a reality, which is very good to see.

“The talent is there, and they know it.” The Wests Tigers don’t have a NRLW license in the 2022 season, but Miss Taylor is excited at the possibility of working her way up through the club if they get a licence.

“To know in the next year or two Tigers might have an NRLW side, that’s a goal. It’s a reality you could be playing for them on the big stage and it’s really exciting. [When I was younger] we weren’t good enough to put on the world stage. All these comps and the expansion means we can really put the foot down and show we’re even better than the boys.

“We’re not scared.”