NRL CBA negotiations: The NRLW is not an afterthought

Tomorrow morning one of the most anticipated games in the Rugby League World Cup to date is taking place when the unbeaten New Zealand Ferns play the also unbeaten Australian Jillaroos.

The outcome of this game will likely determine how these teams will place in their pool, setting up the matches for the semi-final segment of the women’s Tournament.

But instead of previewing this game, it’s more important to speak out about the ongoing uncertainty that we keep requiring our female athletes to handle, all while juggling full time jobs, families and playing footy at an elite level.

Many of you will be aware that the negotiations between the NRL and the RLPA in relation to the next Collective Bargaining Agreement are prolonged and ongoing. But this week the media are reporting that the announcement of the 2023 Women’s National Rugby League Premiership have been delayed.

This is exceptionally frustrating for so many reasons.

While the NRL has been faffing about, testing the idea of a pre-season tournament to take place before the regular season kicks off, there has been a lack of attention and focus on the women’s game and what its future holds.

For too many years we have asked our players to be patient, to work with the NRL and operate in an environment of uncertainty whilst the competition is in the ‘start up phase’.

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The players have done so with good grace and with exceptional commitment. They have held up their end of the bargain. It’s now time for the governing body to come to the table.

Many of us are getting excited because of the announcement of the men’s draw and eagerly placing them in our diaries, but the situation for our women’s competition is fundamentally different.

Next year an additional four teams will enter the competition. This will of course mean plenty of player movement and potentially opportunity for some players to move to clubs closer to home.

Most of the players are on one year contracts too, so plenty of negotiating will need to take place if clubs want to keep their talent.

But because of the protracted nature of these CBA negotiations, the clubs are hamstrung. They do not know what the salary cap is. They do not know when the season will start.

This means that clubs cannot speak to players because they have no idea how to answer two of the fundamental questions – when does the season start and how much can we pay you.

We are currently in the midst of a Rugby League World Cup and my hope is that the NRLW teams have kept a close eye on the international competition.

Answering these questions for Australian-based players is hard enough, but how can clubs even consider approaching players based overseas and talking to them about relocating for an unknown time and without certainty on pay.

It is absurd.

Then there are the conditions our players exist in.

If I asked you to name your stand out player from the 2022 NRLW season, there are no doubt a couple of names that come to mind including Jesse Southwell, Millie Boyle, Raecene McGregor and Isabelle Kelly.

But my stand out player for the 2022 season was Sam Bremner.

Sam has always been an incredible player but after returning from giving birth to her second child just one year ago to perform the way she did was nothing short of monumental.

Her performances have continued at the World Cup where she has now overtaken Steph Hancock to become the Jillaroos leading try scorer of all time.

Did you know that the NRL currently does not have a Pregnancy Policy in place?

Players like Bremner exist in uncertainty about what their careers look like in the lead up to giving birth and then what it looks like if they want to return to the game.

Australia’s Samantha Bremner (Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

And it’s not just Bremner. Corban Baxter is currently pregnant and no doubt there are other women considering their playing careers alongside the idea of having a family.

Cricket Australia announced its Pregnancy Policy several years ago. Why are we so behind?

Why does the focus always seem to be on making the competition bigger and shinier without addressing the fundamental building blocks to ensure that our athletes are successful on and off the field.

I touched on the one year contracts a bit earlier.

At the moment, because the current CBA expired on 31 October, there are no terms and conditions in place.

Think about what that means for any player currently on tour for the Jillaroos, Ferns or any other team with players that compete in the NRLW.

If one of these players sustains an injury what are their chances of being signed by a club next year? How does this impact their level of financial security? What does it mean for their careers going forward?

The women’s game is not an afterthought. Our players are being asked to grow the game and perform at an elite level, but it is unclear to me how we can expect this from our players when as a game, we continue to leave them in limbo.

These protracted negotiations are unhelpful, distracting and extremely concerning for a number of our players. And it’s the players who continue to be placed at risk.

Investing in women’s sport works. It’s time for the NRL to stop treating the NRLW as a second thought and invest appropriately so our athletes can be empowered to succeed on and off the field.