As the Jillaroos continue to steamroll their way through the World Cup and calls for ‘investment’ in the international women’s game continue to echo more than a kid calling “cooee” in Jenolan Caves, there’s a need to think outside the square when it comes to finding a solution.
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Australia hasn’t lost a World Cup game since winning their first cup in 2013 and they scored, on average, a try every three minutes in their record 124-6 win against Wales on the weekend.
Their success is off the back of a strong NRLW competition and Jillaroos high performance program, which has prompted numerous calls for countries to invest more in their women’s game.
Yet for Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa who are smaller developing nations, investment is a loose term with limited meaning or possibility.
One concept to consider could be a Pacific Islands scholarship program in the NRLW.
An NRLW scholarship program, however, could be the start of a bigger conversation on what investment could actually look like.
In order to raise the level of the women’s game in countries outside of Australia, the new development-like program would see every club in the NRLW have two players that they sponsor from Pacific countries, added to their squad.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 01: Keeley Nizza of Australia celebrates with team mates after scoring a try during the 2026 Women’s Rugby League World Cup match between Australia Jillaroos and Wales at CommBank Stadium on November 01, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
They would train with the team, play in the NSW and BMD Premierships as well as be available to be called up to the main squad if needed.
It would provide the professional knowledge and experience which they could take back to their teams back home. It would also expose the player to NRLW coaches to potentially attain an NRLW contract. It would help build and strengthen the international game.
It’s a concept that has the backing of former PNG Orchids coach and Hall of Famer Tahnee Norris.
“They need to know the level they need to be at, so a scholarship system could work, it would expose them to what level they need to be at,” Norris told foxsports.com.au.
“Someone like Naomi Kelly from PNG would be a perfect example of that, bring her over, expose her to the level she needs to be at, give her some education around edge defence and the simple things and that girl could be an NRLW player. She has the attributes there but has never been coached at that same level. When you go in as a national team coach for teams like that you don’t get (enough) time with them.”
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Norris was the Orchids coach for two years up and created a female pathways plan for the country. The plan included a proposal to the QRL for the inclusion of a PNG women’s team in the BMD Premiership, mirroring the PNG Hunters men’s team in the Queensland Cup.
“It’s a no brainer. Girls in PNG currently playing in the competition over there need to know what level they need to be at,” she said.
“My intent was to increase the exposure, have emerging teams, increase the coaches involved in the system as well. My proposal included exposing girls to the BMD Premiership and, in the future, to have a team in the Under 19s and in the BMD Premiership like the Hunters, to expose them to the level they need to be at.”
The skills gap across nations in the women’s game is something the men’s international game also found itself in, not all that long ago.
In the 2013 World Cup, Australia beat Fiji 64-nil in the semi-finals and that was after Fiji beat Samoa 22-4 in the knockout stage. Tonga was also beaten by Scotland in the group stage.
In 2017, the Kangaroos thrashed Samoa 46-nil in the knockout stage.
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The powerhouse performances many of the teams are showing this World Cup is similarly because of a strong NRL and many players switching their allegiance from Australia to the country of the heritage. That’s easier to do when you’re mega NRL deals, but for less lucrative NRLW contracts, it’s understandable players don’t want to give up the bigger match payments from Australia.
As the NRLW grows, this may change.
However for European countries who don’t have the same financial constraints of many of their Pacific nations opposition, there’s no excuse.
“They should be ahead, they obviously haven’t done it (invested). They didn’t jump on it like the NRL did. Something needs to happen for France, England and Wales to be competitive, they’re now having to play catch up,” Norris said.
Like Australia and New Zealand, England has played in every edition of the tournament, although the first two Cups they competed as Great Britain. France first competed in 2008.
“And this is the thing, if it was done (investment) at the right time, then they would all be at the same level. If it was done when everyone was starting to say, yep let’s do something about this, not just Australia, then we would all be at the same level,” Norris added.