WOMEN’S SPORT PAY WAR: NRLW LEFT BEHIN DBY RIVALS

THE NRL has been gang tackled in the dash for dollars across women’s sport, with a new AFLW pay deal exposing how far rugby league has been left behind.

An investigation into women’s pay in Australian domestic sport has confirmed cricket as the most lucrative pathway for female team sport athletes, with netball also leading the charge.

Pressure is mounting on the NRL to drastically increase its investment in the women’s professional game with the average wage for an NRLW player just $10,000 compared to

AFLW players who are earning on average, $47,407 under a new agreement.

The NRL’S spend of less than $2 million on female contracts is dwarfed by the AFL, which is spending a whopping $25.6 million now it has expanded to a full 18-team women’s competition.

Female cricketers are the highest paid in the country with an average wage of $86,456, just ahead of Super Netball ($75,167), while rugby league stars like Sarah Togatuki from the Sydney Roosters have struggled to hold down jobs.