This week is crunch time when it comes to the NRL Women’s premiership.
Earlier this month it was announced that the competition would be expanded from four teams to six in 2021.
While the New Zealand Warriors opted not to field a team this year, the Parramatta Eels, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast Titans are entering the competition to join the Brisbane Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters, creating greater opportunity for women to play in this exciting competition.
The news of expansion was welcome. For the first three years of the NRLW, the competition has remained in the same format and left fans wanting more.
But, given the announcement about expansion was only made earlier this month and with pre-season only a couple of weeks away, the new teams have a very short window to sign players and get their program up and running.
As a result there have been challenges, mostly in relation to talent equalistion.
The initial proposal to help spread out the talent was for the NRL to offer central contracts to the top-24 players, with four players to go to each of the six clubs.
Some agreed to shift for the ‘good of the game’. Others are reluctant.
Those who knock back the NRL’s preferred destination for them forgo the money offered under the central contract and then are given the chance to negotiate with other teams.
Talent equalisation is important, but I would like to understand why the NRL decided to go with this model.
Perhaps they thought it would be successful because of conversations they had had with the players in the past? Perhaps an agreement was never reached about the best approach? Perhaps some players indicated they would be willing to move and then changed their minds?
There is a role for the Rugby League Players’ Association in this, with a movement toward a collective bargaining agreement to give additional certainty.
Other models are available, potentially what may have worked is each of the original clubs nominating the players they were unwilling to let depart?
I also wonder where this proposed approach leads to in the future.
Next year, there is already conversation about adding another two teams to the competition. Will talent need to be redistributed then?
Would the same approach be taken in the men’s game? While I note that this week the tune has changed from a completely new expansion club to moving an existing club up to Brisbane, if a new club was brought into the NRL competition, would we ask Latrell Mitchell, Tom Trbojevic and Junior Paulo to move there?
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Even distribution of talent and the goal of mechanisms like a salary cap are important, players should have the opportunity to play where they would like.
The other challenge is how little notice players have had about the expansion and about leaving one team to join another.
Some would surely have been more open to the move had they had more than a month’s notice.
It is a big ask for a player to change teams in such a short amount of time, particularly if that player has a strong affinity with the club she has been playing for.
So where are we right now?
As it stands, the Gold Coast have announced their marquee signings: Karina Brown, Georgia Hale, Tazmin Gray, Crystal Tamarua and Brittany Breayley-Nati.
Unsurprisingly, no Brisbane Broncos have made the shift, with Millie Boyle, Ali Brigginshaw, Tarryn Aiken, Tamika Upton and Amber Hall all returning for the premiers.
The Broncos celebrate their NRLW title. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Newcastle are apparently having challenges attracting marquee players and Parramatta are set to make some announcements this week.
I’d also like to address some comments that Peter V’landys made in the media last week about this subject.
“What we’re asking respectfully is to look at the big picture,” the ARLC chair told AAP.
“If you believe in the women’s game, look at the big picture and make a sacrifice.”
These comments really struck a nerve with me.
We are dealing with part-time athletes, who are in many cases juggling their elite sporting careers with family commitments, studies and jobs.
Many are unable to work full-time because of the flexibility required to play elite rugby league.
Women are already making big sacrifices to play the game they love. The women playing now also follow in the footsteps of giants like Katrina Fanning, Tarsha Gale and Karyn Murphy, who made even greater sacrifices just to play footy.
How much more do our female athletes need to sacrifice before it is enough?
Paul
Roar Guru
I'm guessing you're close to the mark. That said, I don't think V'landys was out of line to make a request/offer. None of the players should have been forced to accept and if it did speed up the equalization of talent even a little bit, that has to be a good thing, I'd have thought
PGNEWC
Roar Rookie
I think he was watching the lopsided AFLW and the Women's A league and decided he didnt want the big blowouts and the top teams like the Adelaide Crows and Sydney FC always winning -- but that is something that takes time and experience to overcome - you cant overcome it instantaneously. Brisbane will dominate -- and that's a good thing as other clubs will watch them and learn and overtake them eventually as were the Crows this year.It takes time patience and a commitment to money over the long haul.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Clear as mud Mary! Thanks for trying :happy: Bravo NRL for making this process easy to follow for league fans!
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Hi Bunney Let me do my best to explain this based on the information I know (and all I know has come from the media). There are 24 central contracts. The intention was for four of those players to go to each of the six clubs. If one of those 24 players is asked to move and refuses, she is no longer part of that 24 and is free to negotiate with other clubs. What is unclear to me is what happens if someone refuses the top 24 offer - does another player come into the top 24? I also have no idea who the top 24 are... Does this help?
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Hi Mary, I also note one of my fave players (despite being a cockroach!) Millie Boyle is also not a fan of the talent equalisation measures. Pretty tone deaf of Vlandys to ask women to suck it up and make a sacrifice for the good of the game, when they already make big ones just to be able to play NRLW. The women's game should be expanded, but the plans around that expansion should be put in place way ahead of time, so it's not last minute rush stuff. Even an outline of the future would be better than what we have now. Can you explain a couple of things to me?? I've read about the 24 central contracts, which is 4 per team...but the Titans and Broncos have both named 5 marquee signings. Who are the 24 centrally contracted players? What is the marquee signing system, and how are the two systems related?? From my Broncos, Ali Brigginshaw and Millie Boyle are definitely top 24, and Tamika Upton almost certainly is too. Is one of the 5 marquee's not centrally contracted?? (Amber Hall or Taryn Aitken)
Nat
Roar Guru
So the answer is none? You've taken a few points from the article and didn't answer the question.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
In the case of Newcastle, when V'landys asked the women to make a sacrifice to benefit some bigger picture, what do you think he was talking about? Speaking more generally, if the women can't be paid a full time wage, they are unlikely to want to move to another city to play a handful of games. This would not make sense for the majority of people, not just women, for anyone. If the womens league is dependent on clubs relying, in the main, on women players who reside in the city in which the club is domiciled, then the situation might be tough for Newcastle, but wait until the Storm has a team. Where are their players coming from?
Dave
Guest
The problem is that talent equalisation is done in the NRL by money. If a new club were to form they’d be able to entice players across with paying overs The NRLW players are not yet at the stage where they can demand large enough amounts to forgo moving home, moving teams etc Talent equalisation in NRLW is a necessary evil for now, as the NRLW expands more in the future and participation numbers grow this equalisation will happen more organically
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
Hard Yards said it best "How many decades did it take for the men’s game to develop to a standard , and attract audience figures, where it could be run as fully professional ?"
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Ok... but if you are comfortable with players working full time and then only training two times a week, then we can't really be critical of the competition can we? The AFLW is constantly criticised for the quality of play - it's interesting to me that people demand quality in circumstances where women are juggling a great many things just to play the game they love.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
yes they are now, and the men are also 100 years into their competition. Wasn’t that long ago where these so called “paid professional” rugby league players still worked full time & only trained twice a week. How are the men paid? 1/ bums on seats (granted not a lot at a Chooks game), 2/ merchandise sales 3/ TV rights 4/ Sponsorships. Will (or should) the women be paid the same based on their own comp?
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
I'm not sure your comparison is the same - the men are being paid a full time wage.
HENRIK
Guest
It is for this reason i think the NRLW should be a 9 a side competition. Not only will it help with spreading the Talent it is imo a better spectacle and could be played in 4 x 15 minute Quarters to reduce the contact Stress on the Body becuase as is rightly pointed out the women arnt currently paid enough money to become the professionals we expect them to become. Whilst its not good timing because of covid, the rise of WAFL is a concern that they may have a better chance of being professionals in that code. The NRL and Clubs with NRLW teams need to kick in more money so its all not just about the players having to sacrifice.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
The Warriors players are available - in fact some of them signed with the Gold Coast Titans earlier this week!
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
The Warriors players are not available?
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
How many decades did it take for the men's game to develop to a standard , and attract audience figures, where it could be run as fully professional ?
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
Granted, I know some people have pushed for rugby league at Olympic level . Not sure it will happen but it would raise profile. We have had 7 s or touch ( not sure ) at Commonwealth Games so you never know. Different people would also like to see American football at the games so if either one succeeded the other may follow.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
the big problem is quality and depth of the available playing pool. If all of the top players sign with i.e. 2 teams then it will be like the EPL (soccer) where the top teams always win as they have bought all of the talent. To say players should play where they want - how many men want to play for a club but end up playing elsewhere because their ultimate dream / goal is to play in the NRL? Maybe the NRLW is trying to grow too big too soon? Best make sure there are enough quality players in the lower tier who can step up.
Nat
Roar Guru
And what research or knowledge do you have behind that statement?
Adam
Roar Guru
You'd think there has to be a solution other than asking nicely. Set them up with nice jobs for the remainder of the year and some might think about it