Warriors back women’s NRL
"I believe that participating in the competition would be fantastic." Cameron George, Warriors CEO
The Warriors have expressed interest in fielding a team in the NRL’S new elite women’s premiership.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg yesterday announced plans for a competition in 2018 of up to six teams that will run during the finals series of the men’s premiership.
The teams will be aligned to NRL clubs and the governing body is accepting bids for licenses, which will be announced in the new year.
Warriors CEO Cameron George confirmed he has had talks with the NRL about the competition. And while there are several key details still to be worked out, including funding, he believes it presents a huge opportunity for the Auckland-based club.
‘‘It’s certainly something we’d like to explore further,’’ George said. ‘‘I believe that participating in the competition would be fantastic for the Warriors, our fans, our commercial partners and most importantly be great for rugby league in New Zealand.
‘‘We’ve seen it other sports. The Kiwi Ferns did very well [at the Women’s Rugby League World Cup] and if we can help accelerate the growth of rugby league in New Zealand then we’d love to continue to play our part.’’
As part of its new programme for women, the NRL also confirmed that the Australian Jillaroos would play the Kiwi Ferns in New Zealand, while a stand-alone State of Origin match will be played in mid-june.
Greenberg said 40 Australian players will receive Jillaroos contracts, which include match payments and participation in a series of high performance camps.
The women’s game has enjoyed a spike in popularity across the Tasman in recent years, with participation up by 32 per cent in 2017. Much of that has been driven by the success of the Jillaroos, who have surpassed the once-dominant Kiwi Ferns to win back-to-back world titles, including Saturday’s final in Brisbane.
New Zealand Rugby League do not have the financial resources to match Australia. But asked if the Warriors would work in conjunction with NZRL to field a team, George said it was too early to say.
‘‘Once we get [more detail] then we can work out a pathway forward,’’ George said.
‘‘Particularly how it’s going to be funded is something we need to understand completely before we give it any serious consideration about whether we move forward.’’
Greenberg, meanwhile, said they were talking the women’s game to a ‘‘new level’’ and expects the competition to grow as more women signed up to play the sport.
‘‘We are not going to rush in with a larger competition until we have the numbers to give it the quality it deserves,’’ he said.
‘‘But I have no doubt that, as more women take up the game, the competition will grow.’’