In response to media reports the announcement of the 2023 NRLW draw has been delayed, the female leaders of the RLPA would like to make the following statement:
As players, we are frustrated with the current state of our CBA negotiations. While we acknowledge that the NRL has understood the players’ position on the draw, we hope that we now have the opportunity to prioritise our historic first Women’s CBA before confirming the future of the NRLW and our obligations.
We have already played five seasons of NRLW. We have invested in the start up and growth of the competition. It has come at a cost to our personal lives, families, employment and studies but we have committed to making these sacrifices because we are pursuing our dreams and we want to build strong foundations for the future of the game.
However, the lack of security and certainty does take a toll and we believe it is time that we are afforded the respect we deserve through the first ever Women’s CBA. This CBA is intended to change that and provide all players with a clear pathway to pursuing a professional rugby league career.
The players’ right to negotiate and agree to our employment terms and obligations is a central and fundamental claim in the CBA bargaining process. An announcement of the NRLW 2023 draw would have set the structure and largely dictate the hours of work for players, which should not happen without a CBA that will capture all the critical terms of employment that we require as players to secure our futures.
We support the NRLW, we support women’s rugby league and its potential, and we support the NRL’s ambitions for the game. However, we need a women’s CBA prioritised and agreed to before we can take the next steps in creating and announcing a 2023 NRLW season that will continue to elevate and grow the women’s game.
We deserve respect for our past, current and future contributions to the game and that begins with the finalisation of our CBA.
