Togatuki leads fight for professional NRLW

Sydney Roosters forward Sarah Togatuki has added her voice to calls for the NRLW to turn professional.

The NRL is yet to commit to a timeframe on when female athletes can expect to ditch their nine-to-five jobs for rugby league.

As it stands, the minimum salary for an NRLW player is $8,000 over 12 weeks. For a male, it’s $80,000 across 12 months.

But the sooner professionalism comes the better for Togatuki, who will line up for the Roosters in their season-opener against Brisbane in Newcastle on Sunday.

The 24-year-old juggles her NRLW commitments alongside her day job as a mental health support worker in Penrith.

If someone calls in sick she might have to work a 16-hour shift. Sometimes it can be longer.

And then, with barely any sleep, she has to drive back from Sydney’s west to Roosters training which can take place in Sydney’s east or even on the Central Coast.

“We wear the jerseys and get bashed out there but we love this game,” she told AAP.

“It can take me an hour to get back to work and then maybe 90 minutes to come back in peak hour and my toll bill is through the roof.

“If the NRL can provide us a decent amount then that would benefit us females a lot.”

Togatuki and her peers aren’t asking for $1 million salaries but they would like to see a day when they can call themselves full-time athletes.

“I’ve been saving my NRLW contract since 2018 and I really want to help buy my dad a house,” she said.

“I’ve lost three jobs in banking since then and when the season starts I have to cut down my hours with work.”

After earning State of Origin selection for NSW in the back-row, she will make the move to prop this weekend against Brisbane.

The Roosters are seeking to end the Broncos’ dominance in the competition and a win