‘I love my muscles’: NRLW star Julia Robinson calls out online body-shamers

The Brisbane Broncos have strongly condemned trolls who targeted NRLW player Julia Robinson with body-shaming comments after a picture of the three-time premiership winner was posted by the club on their social media platforms.

Robinson called out the trolls on Tuesday after the innocuous photograph, which showed the Queensland and Australia representative player in a singlet at training, attracted derogatory comments about her muscular physique.

Robinson, who is known as one of the game’s fittest players and often posts training videos on her Instagram account, shone a light on the abuse by sharing the comments herself.

“I never usually read social media comments, or let them affect me,” she wrote. “However I just wanted to say that no one should be ashamed or self-conscious to have muscles. It shows dedication and hard work. I love my muscles.”

Fellow players rallied around her, with Queensland captain Ali Brigginshaw writing, “Got you always (Robinson) – f---ing trolls at it again”, and Jillaroos teammate Kirra Dibb branding the comments “disgusting”.

“No one should be anything by complimentary to athletes that work incredibly hard to be the best in their sport,” Dibb said.

The former NRL player Issac Luke posted: “Wowee. Man this pi**es me off. Just because youse [sic] look like potatoes and she doesn’t. Put a photo up of what you look like now and let us ROAST YOU!”

The club said the trolls’ comments were “belittling” and that there was no room for such attitudes in the game.

“Julia has been a Bronco since the very first day our NRLW team came together in 2018 and we are all angered by the words written by these trolls,” Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said.

“Julia is a one of the hardest workers in both our men’s and