Equity in the National Rugby League Women’s (NRLW) competition has become an issue as a wide gap has emerged between the league’s teams. Since its inception, the NRLW has crowned three champions: Brisbane (2018-2020), Sydney, and Newcastle (2022-2023). The men’s league has undergone a dramatic change. Since 2017, the title has been taken by just three teams — Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters, and Penrith Panthers. The increasing divide between the best and worst teams in the NRLW has led to plenty of debate. Players and league officials alike are seriously looking for ways to remedy this glaring oversight.
Check out this size This is the part that has got Brisbane veteran Ali Brigginshaw so animated in the lead-up. At present, NRLW teams are made up of 24 players with a cap of four development players. By contrast, the men’s league has rosters of 30 players in addition to a minimum of six development players. To Brigginshaw, increasing squad sizes is a way of helping level the playing field. This amendment would go a long way toward improving the public-facing quality of the competition.
Disparities in Team Performance
The numbers from last season paint a clear picture of the chasm between the best and worst teams in NRLW. The Brisbane Broncos proved to be the most dominant team, scoring 404 points on the year. By comparison, the Wests Tigers only scored 65 points, showcasing a stark disparity in attacking prowess. The best offensive team in the league last season still only netted 272 points — the least productive just 108.
Further, the average winning margin in NRLW games has gone up from 14.2 points to 18 points. This is an important trend to understand, because as some teams get better, other teams find it more difficult to compete. Brigginshaw remarked on this issue, stating, “The 12 teams have been quite strong; I know we’ve seen some scores blow out but I do think that’s to do with the squad numbers.”
The competitive landscape is further compounded by the dominance of teams like the Sydney Roosters, who boast a roster filled with representative talent. Having them in the finals with the Broncos makes it seem almost normal. They have to keep producing jaw-dropping acts that cause everyone to be talking about them.
Squad Size and Competition Quality
Brigginshaw believes bigger squad sizes would make the NRLW an even stronger competition and wants rosters expanded to 30 players each. She explained, “I definitely think we could extend those squads to 30. I know personally we do an opposed game [at training] and you don’t have enough people to play against.”
She hopes that having more players will mean better training environments. This will transform the process of identifying and cultivating their emerging talent. “I just think that will bring the standard up for each team if we can have squads of 30, just to make sure that we’re really working on upskilling everyone,” Brigginshaw added.
League officials have acknowledged these concerns. Andrew Abdo stated, “In any given year, you’re going to have some teams that are at the top of the ladder, some teams that are at the bottom of the ladder.” This recognition demonstrates a more sophisticated appreciation of the unpredictability that is baked into all competitive athletics.
Future of the NRLW
As the NRLW heads into its finals series, which consists of six teams over three weeks, questions about the future competitiveness of the league remain prominent. The Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters are through to the decider! At the other end of the ladder, the Newcastle Knights are looking woeful, currently $26 for the premiership with all but one bookmaker.
The gulf in talent and overall quality of play makes for some uncomfortable but necessary discussions about how to make sure all 12 finalists are genuinely competitive. Making squad sizes larger is one potential answer to this booming issue. Debate has become fierce between stakeholders and government officials. We’ll be seeing very shortly exactly how these changes will set the course for the future of women’s rugby league in Australia.
