Newygirl
Clint Newton
They can’t, most of the players still have jobs
NRLW 2026
- Thread starter Newygirl
- Start date
Newygirl
Clint Newton
Yeah but unfortunately not until the next broadcast deal starts. PVL gave away the rights to all the women’s games for free so until the next deal starts they’re stuck with ****ty comp and salaries etc
Defence wins games
Todd Bates
It will be excellent to see the women’s game given the profile and compensation it deserves.
Newygirl
Clint Newton
Would be nice if they’d at least come up with a plan for how they’re going to move forward. At the moment the comp is just stuck in this state of limbo because it’s mostly been treated as an afterthought at best
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Yeah I talked some **** about how put off I am by the comp atm (the ******** with the contracts, Shannon Mato getting a “compassionate release” to play for a club 30 mins down the road that happens to be one of the Big Two clubs… spare me)… but I was all the way back in after watching our girls on Thurs night. They play with so much fire & passion. They’re killing themselves out there and deserve better from NRL admin.
HarVeeGee13
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Hard on paper before the game.
After the game:
Back 5 metres: Knights 711 Sharks 573
Back row metres: Knights 331 Sharks 150
1042 metres to 723 from the smaller, fitter wide players
On the back of that advantage, our middles - comparatively unproductive in yardage besides Predebon - hit to hurt every time and neutralised their big boppers.
Historically the NRLW has been more about dominant power middles and a lot of teams have one great yardage back like Kelly or Pelite but they’ve honestly been fielding at least one and often two back five players who are not very good/very unproductive. We may be ahead of the curve in adapting to a more NRLM style.
Bodes very well that we took the big Johnston girls out of the game totally and the Broncos couldn’t do it. Hoping to see our girls rub Upton & Southwell’s noses into the dirt in a couple weeks. Metaphorically speaking.
After the game:
Back 5 metres: Knights 711 Sharks 573
Back row metres: Knights 331 Sharks 150
1042 metres to 723 from the smaller, fitter wide players
On the back of that advantage, our middles - comparatively unproductive in yardage besides Predebon - hit to hurt every time and neutralised their big boppers.
Historically the NRLW has been more about dominant power middles and a lot of teams have one great yardage back like Kelly or Pelite but they’ve honestly been fielding at least one and often two back five players who are not very good/very unproductive. We may be ahead of the curve in adapting to a more NRLM style.
Bodes very well that we took the big Johnston girls out of the game totally and the Broncos couldn’t do it. Hoping to see our girls rub Upton & Southwell’s noses into the dirt in a couple weeks. Metaphorically speaking.
Battler
Matthew Johns
I'm ok with literally.
Tamika is a QLDer, so I understood that, but I feel particularly bitter about Jess going; IDK if that's fair, but I do. Maybe if we'd gotten something in exchange, I wouldn't, but it really does feel like the Knights were ripped off. Again, I don't know if that's a fair assessment.
Billy
Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Fact is, there is no real effective salary cap in NRLW.
The teams that spend the most are the teams that win the titles.
Wests group decided to dip into their pockets and bought Tamika Upton, Millie Elliott, 5 or 6 Roosters, 5 or 6 Warriors and won a couple of premierships.
After that they had a rethink and hired a fulltime coach and staff and set about breeding our own quality players.
Problem is, other clubs just bought the cream of our squad from under us - Jess and her sister, Upton, Elliott, Butler, CJ, Evah McEwen.
Since very few players can make a living out of NRLW right now, you can't blame any of them for going for as much money as they can get. Tamika Upton would struggle to make as much as a fringe firstgrader in the men's game, and she is basically the first NRLW immortal.