NRLW’s 491-day hiatus ends but path to professionalism remains unclear

It could be argued that the NRL really understands how to build anticipation for its women’s game. That would, of course, be a very generous interpretation of the situation that has led to a 491-day break since the last time an NRLW game was played.

The 2021 season, which was originally slated to take place in August and then pushed back to October, was moved to 2022 due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said at the time that the delay offered an opportunity to commit to the women’s game completely in 2022.

“The rescheduling provides us with an opportunity to create a full 12-month calendar for women’s rugby league in 2022 and importantly means our athletes will not have to relocate,” he said. How that plays out remains to be seen, but there will be plenty of eyes on the sport to see how the women’s game is prioritised in a season that will undoubtedly still feel the effects of the pandemic.

The reinvigorated competition has farewelled the New Zealand Warriors but welcomes three new teams to the fold – the Newcastle Knights, Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans will make their NRLW debuts this weekend, alongside foundation clubs the St George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters.

The new teams add some much-needed upheaval to the competition that has been dominated by the Broncos since its inception in 2018. No other team has claimed the premiership and Brisbane have won all three of their grand finals by margins of 10 points or more. The addition of new teams offers the opportunity for talent to be spread more evenly across the league and though the Broncos remain the firm favourites heading into this season, there is hope the competition will begin to even out