NRLW 2021: Existing teams dominant as semi-finals approach

For the fourth year in a row in the NRL Women’s premiership, the Brisbane Broncos are the minor premiers and have the edge leading into the semi-finals this weekend.

After a dramatic final round where the make-up of the top four was unknown until the final game, the Broncos, St George Illawarra Dragons, Gold Coast Titans and Sydney Roosters will progress to the semi-finals at Leichhardt Oval this weekend, with the Newcastle Knights and Parramatta Eels missing out.

With state leagues set to commence shortly, followed by a State of Origin series, the 2022 NRLW season and a World Cup, there is plenty of women’s footy left to come and several key things to think about moving forward.

The dominance of the established teams
Leading into the 2021 NRLW season there was little doubt that the Broncos would continue their dominance.

With the likes of Ali Brigginshaw, Tamika Upton and Millie Boyle leading, and the fact they had only been defeated once in NRLW history, many tipped this team to win the premiership for the fourth year in a row.

(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

That may still happen.

What was perhaps more surprising was the performance of the Dragons, who finished second on the ladder, only behind on points differential. In the past, the Dragons have underperformed, but with new coach Jamie Soward and emerging talent like Rachel Pearson and Jamie Chapman, they have looked like a completely new team.

It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the three pre-existing teams have made finals, with two new teams missing out and Newcastle failing to win a game.

This is important given that in the next two years, the competition is set to introduce four new teams; two in 2023 and another two in 2024.

I’m certainly not suggesting that new teams be given a ‘leg up’ but I wonder whether there is anything that new teams can learn from pre-existing ones or whether it simply is a case of teams being given an opportunity to work together over a number of years.

Whilst Brisbane have had many players come and go over recent seasons, their core has remained consistent and that has contributed to their success.

We should know more at the end of the 2022 season, but it’s crucial to ensure that a gulf does not emerge between the pre-existing teams and the new ones, especially given the addition of four new teams over two seasons.

Contracting period now open
In news that has been relatively unnoticed, the contracting period for the NRLW opened up last Wednesday for the 2022 season, so expect plenty of news in the coming weeks about players signings and movements.

This will be the first contracting period under the new model announced by the Australian Rugby League Commission earlier this month.

For the 2022 season, each club will have a salary cap set at $350,000 per team. Clubs will also have the chance to contract up to two marquee players as full-time employees with salary cap dispensation.

My curiosity is around why the decision was made to open the contracting model during this current season, especially given the season will conclude in just two weeks?

It would have been prudent to wait until the end of the 2021 season.

In the men’s comp, we are used to player movements being announced throughout the season, but the NRLW is in a different position altogether.

At the moment, players in the NRLW sign one-year contracts. So instead of a couple of players at each NRL team being off contract each year, every single NRLW player is currently off contract.

We’ve seen countless stories written about how contract negotiations can impact a team and their season, so wouldn’t the impact be even more on NRLW teams with every single player being impacted?

There’s another key difference between the NRLM and the NRLW too: pay.

The NRLM players are full-time professional athletes and there are no doubt that some athletes make decisions based on financial returns. In the next iteration of the NRLW, it is likely that only the two marquee players at each club will be considered full-time professional athletes.

If pay is not the reason that these women are playing rugby league, then what is it? It’s likely because they love it and want to play alongside their friends.

When the clubs begin talking to players about re-signing, the first question they will likely ask is ‘who else are you signing?’

Given how sensitive contract negotiations are, this would be a difficult question to answer.

Additionally, with only two marquee places available, this may also create a tension as it could be the difference between sitting in or out of a position of financial security.

When the focus has been on ensuring that these women have been supported to succeed in the NRLW, a contracting model which undermines this seems like an unusual approach.

Perhaps we will understand more in the weeks to come. If the question is making sure our female players have job security, then surely the better option is to ensure multi-year contracts.