Over the last couple of days I have seen some exceptionally lazy commentary about the upcoming NRL Women’s competition, particularly following Friday, when bids to have a team in the inaugural competition officially closed.
According to reports, the teams that have expressed interest and put in bids were the St George Illawarra Dragons, the Cronulla Sharks, the Sydney Roosters, the Brisbane Broncos and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
What’s missing from that geographical spread is a team in traditional rugby league heartland, Western Sydney.
Some have been critical of clubs in these areas, like the Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels and Canterbury Bulldogs, for initially expressing interest in the competition but not following that up with a formal bid, and some have labelled it a demonstration of a lack of interest in women’s rugby league.
That accusation is ill-informed.
The NRL made its announcement about the women’s competition on 5 December 2017 just after the conclusion of the Rugby League World Cup. It made sense to make the announcement at this point in time given the victory and success of our Australian Jillaroos at the tournament, but it didn’t make much sense from a planning and administrative point of view, particularly if the NRL was hoping the teams that would show interest in that competition would bear the financial costs of fielding a team.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
By December of any given year, a club has worked out its budget for the coming season and have allocated spend. We read countless articles about how few clubs are profitable, so it’s fair to say that there would be very few with buckets of money sitting aside for miscellaneous purposes, particularly the sort of cash required to properly field and support an additional team.
This lack of funds is an even more pronounced problem for clubs that are at the beginning of their women’s rugby league journey, because these teams will have start-up costs. For example, many stadia do not have women’s changerooms. Getting the right facilities is a necessity for most clubs, but they’re ultimately costs they must budget for.
It therefore comes as no surprise that teams like the Sharks and Dragons are in a position to put in bids. These are the two Sydney teams that have led the way for women’s rugby league. Not only did both participate in the Sharks nines competition last year, meaning that appropriate facilities are available and they have strong talent to draw upon from the local women’s competitions in the south, but the Sharks even went as far as contracting players last year, including Ruan Sims. Kezie Apps is also linked with the Dragons.
I understand that when AFLW started the clubs that were granted licenses were also given a grant from the AFL to help support the establishment of the teams. If a similar offer is not made to rugby league teams, then I can completely understand why clubs would tread carefully in the coming year, particularly when Todd Greenberg made it abundantly clear earlier this year that the NRL does not have the funds to ‘bail out’ clubs that operate at a loss. Financial survival is paramount.
(Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
But even if we only have four teams in the initial competition, so what? I’m really comfortable with the NRL and the clubs taking this process slowly and starting with a six-week, four-team competition this year with a view to growing in coming years.
Now that clubs have been given the opportunity to go through the bid process and see what is required of them, each team that hasn’t put in an application can begin planning and working towards having the funds necessary to field a team in 2020.
The Eels, Tigers and Bulldogs all have a team in the Tarsha Gale competition, so to say they have no interest in women’s rugby league is completely unwarranted and unfair. I have every confidence that these particular three teams will be in a much better position to put in a bid for an entry in 2020 when the competition is ready to expand again.
I still remain really excited about the NRL’s announcement last year because I know that the game will be able to stand on its own two feet as a product.
(Sean Teuma)
There has been plenty of media attention over the last two weeks on the AFLW, particularly surrounding the infamous ‘leaked memo’ which went to AFLW coaches telling them how to structure their teams and how to play the game to make it more appealing and higher scoring.
While I question the AFL for doing this, particularly since I am of the view that the game needs time to develop organically, I am confident that this would never happen in rugby league, because our product is already good and has the excitement in attack and ferocity in defence that we are so used to in the men’s competition.
You only need to tune in to watch the Jillaroos play the Kiwi Ferns or the Interstate Challenge to see this on show.
So whether we start with four teams or eight teams and whether it takes two years or ten to get to a geographically representative competition, I have enough faith in the quality of play and in the women playing rugby league to know that the NRL’s women’s competition will be a success.
Justin Kearney
Guest
You would hope that within 2 years you would have an 8 team 14-21 round roster with clubs from down the eastern seaboard, NZ and maybe Perth. Victoria and WA have women’s comps already. It’s all sitting there waiting to fit. This season may not end up being perfect but it’s a start.
Marco
Guest
4 teams ! Yeah right, as if that would be taken seriously. If just one of those teams backs out after a bad season, it's all over. Unless the NRL and the clubs are prepared to put their money where their mouth is, it's all talk.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Marco, when did I apologise for the NRL in the article? I merely put forward reasons as to why clubs would not be ready to put in a bid this year. What is the big deal if we only go ahead with 4 teams?
McNaulty
Guest
"This was after their NRL grant and the leagues club grant" Really, how does that work? What, they borrowed money from a bank? Which bank loaned them money? I think you mean the Leagues Club advanced additional grants above their ordinary budgeted grants which they can do with the stroke of a pen, no amount of which will be repaid. Which means it is a source of revenue. Parramatta Leagues club need to be named and shamed as an organisation that does not support womens sport.
McNaulty
Guest
The Parramatta Eels have the money for a womens team now. The Leagues club could put up the $500k with the stroke of a pen. The excuse they are using is the budget they have set for this next year. But all that is is a way of saying "we don't want to fund a womens teams now. We have the money, but we don't want to do it because we aren't interested enough". They would magically find the money for something important that they ARE interested in like for example litigation. They would get the funding for litigation from the Leagues Club with the stroke of a pen. I can live with Parramatta not supporting the WNRL, it will damage the competition but we just have to make do. What I can't stand is this excuse making for them. Like their hands are tied. Whatever.
Marco
Guest
Take the blinkers off Mary. The NRL are obviously not prepared for this new competition this year.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. :D
Matt H
Roar Guru
Could the A-League clubs have afforded it if they were asked in June to have a team ready for next February?
Big Daddy
Guest
No one is disputing that there should be a comp. Will it get the same tv coverage that aflw or a league or will it be consigned to foxtel replay at 2 in the morning.
Tom English
Roar Guru
Count me in for Super W. Squads are announced and have been training since January. Lot more stability to the competition which was considered just a reaction to NRLW.
mushi
Guest
Though to be fair aren't the rest subsidiaries of private companies or not for profit entities. I'd hazard a wild guess that most would be deliberately structured so as to minimise the potential for a taxable profit. The Broncos are a listed entity so, even though they're 80% owned by two parties, the board has a fiduciary duty to run it in the economic interest of all shareholders. I.e. needs to try and make a profit.
Panopticon
Guest
Just because you don't get presents In your stocking doesn't mean Santa doesn't love you.
Greg Ambrose
Guest
Sporting clubs are still more closely related to clubs than businesses I say. There are lots of true businesses who feed off the game like the broadcasters etc but if clubs were simply businesses who would bother with them? The odd exception might include Manchester United and some other global clubs but most clubs in Australia are terrible businesses and not viable so there must be much more to it and there is. It is still more about the game than money. Even for the players who could put themselves on the open market and play union in France most don't because it is a passion like it is for the owners of clubs who chose to buy an NRL club over a profit making nut and bolt factory.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Penrith is one of the most profitable and lucrative sporting businesses in the country. You can't tell me they can't afford a few hundred gee to fund a woman's team.
McNaulty
Guest
What Parra situation? The stadium is under construction? Big deal. Play at ANZ for the season, like the men do.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Clubs live up to their means. Give them $50 million and they will find a way to spend every cent and have their hand out for more. It's why there is now a cap on coaching and support salaries, but I see today Rorhfield has no clue and wanted to whinge about it. In saying that, the NRL want clubs to outlay more money to fund a womens team, but have yet to outline where the income is coming from
Justin Kearney
Guest
Outrated I meant - bloody autocorrect
Big Daddy
Guest
It would make more sense to have a women's comp based on NSW and Qld with about 8 teams. The NRL aimed a little bit high and it was a knee jerk reaction to AFL without any real plan on how to finance and where the player's were to come from. The base should have come from Murri and Koori comps which have a lot of high quality player's. Look at Mahalia Murphy who left league to play union. If it was NRL instigating this comp they should have been prepared to underwrite this concept to some extent.
Justin Kearney
Guest
The aflw outraged the aleague last year as well. Both have had a significant drop in ratings this year. As for the women’s NRL comp I am absolutely in favour of it which is why I am disappointed with clubs’ responses. I get the parramatta situation though.
Alicesprings
Guest
I thinks its fair to say that all the major codes have under estimated the popularity of womens sport and have been very slow to the party - especially NRL/AFL. Interesting to note that AFLW games now regularly out rate HAL games - for example 81k watch the Carlton v Brisbane. No doubt the same will occur when NRLW starts. It will be interesting to note how Foxtel approaches the competition. Will it get pushed to summer as there is more 'clean air' for broadcasters?