A landmark collective bargaining agreement is set to be finalised later this year and the players’ association is pushing for paid contractual protection for up to 12 months.
There is no current CBA outlining minimum standards for female players and Dragons player and Player Advisory Group representative Keeley Davis said NRLW players were united in their push for job security.
Keeley said year-long contracts and would help address the elite competition’s concerning drop-out rate which hovers around 30 per cent, and which players say can be partly attributed to the lack of year and multi-year contracts.
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“I think one of the biggest boosts to performance and the quality of the NRLW competition would be 12-month contracts and job security – at the moment if you’re on a three-month contract and you get injured, you’re on your own,” she said.
“We have such a bad retention rate in the NRLW, to be injured and be out for the season and then come back and do the rehab to then not have that certainty of playing just doesn’t make it easy.”
NRL and RLPA are hashing out an historic collective bargaining agreement for the women’s game which will expand to 10 teams next season when Canberra, Cronulla, North Qld and Wests Tigers joining the comp.
Under the RLPA plan, they are asking for women to receive a minimum wage of at least $30,000 as well as greater medical and wellbeing support – and a $120 million investment in the women’s game.
“I think with four new clubs next year, there is a lot of uncertainty about what the competition will look like … and with four new clubs I do expect there is going to be a dip in quality for a little bit as players are spread around,” Keeley said.
“I think we might be a year too soon and you’ll start to see some blowouts in the score lines.
“Also, the CBA isn’t finalised and we have no idea where it will end up – there is a lot of change for our players coming up. A bit more than a month after the Grand Final there is a Women’s Rugby League World Cup.
“And while we love playing for the green and gold, the team isn’t named until after the grand final – two weeks later you fly out, we’ve just played two seasons in the one year – you have to have a very understanding boss to allow you to juggle all these demands.
“Being full time professionals is the fastest way to accelerate the quality of the overall competition.”
Rugby League Players Association chief executive Clint Newton said the women’ game is now a priority.
“Under our proposal, in the current 10-team format, we are wanting to invest $120 million in the women’s game,” Newton said.
“We are a long way behind the AFL and we need to bridge that gap. The women’ game needs investment.”
NRLW Grand Final, Sunday October 2
Knights v Eels
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