New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nI couldn\u2019t agree more. <\/p>\n
Holding the NRLW to high standards isn\u2019t disrespectful. It\u2019s a sign of respect.<\/p>\n
If a team\u2019s performance isn\u2019t good enough, we should say it. If a club isn\u2019t competing at the level expected, we should analyse why. If there are blowout scorelines, we should ask what is causing them and how the competition continues to improve. <\/p>\n
But there is another part of the conversation that is equally important \u2014 perspective.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s NRLW players are stronger. Faster. More powerful. Better prepared. And increasingly, more complete footballers.<\/p>\n
The evolution isn\u2019t just visible on the field; it\u2019s reflected in the way individual players have developed their games over time. <\/p>\n
Looking at four players who featured in the inaugural 2018 season and remain in the competition today, each tells a different story of how the demands of the NRLW have changed. <\/p>\n
Georgia Hale of Gold Coast Titans is the NRLW\u2019s top tackler.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Zahara Temara is kicking further and more often, lifting her average kick metres from 106 in 2018 to 144 per game so far this season. <\/p>\n
Chelsea Lenaduzzi didn\u2019t manage one offload in her first season, currently her game average is seven. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jess Sergis average tackle busts have increased from 10 to 29 and her run metres per game are averaged at 122m, compared to 72 in 2018. <\/p>\n
Georgia Hale, known widely as the leader in tackles per game in recent seasons, has gone from 16 per game in 2018 to averaging in the 40s for the past four seasons. <\/p>\n
No single statistic captures the evolution of the modern NRLW athlete. Together, though, they point to a competition that now demands more complete footballers. <\/p>\n
Players haven\u2019t simply gained experience over the past eight seasons; they\u2019ve adapted to a game that has become faster, more physical and more demanding in almost every facet. <\/p>\n
Is it really a two horse race in NRLW? | 07:58<\/p>\n
That evolution hasn\u2019t happened by accident. It is the result of sustained investment, stronger development pathways, improved coaching and athletes who have embraced the opportunity to become semi-professional. <\/p>\n
But growth isn\u2019t driven by what happens on the training field alone. <\/p>\n
As the NRLW has become easier to watch through expanded broadcast coverage, more people have been able to connect with the game. Greater audiences brings greater visibility, which attracts investment, sponsorship and support. <\/p>\n
In turn, that creates more opportunities for players to improve, and the cycle of growth continues. <\/p>\n
But acknowledging that progress doesn\u2019t mean ignoring the challenges.<\/p>\n
The NRLW should continue to be questioned. The competition should continue to look at ways to improve depth, consistency and competitiveness across all clubs.<\/p>\n
Because as standards rise, the difference between teams with established high-performance environments and those still building them become even more obvious.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s part of the evolution of any professional competition. The difference today is that the expectation has changed. Eight years ago, the conversation was about whether women could have a national competition. <\/p>\n
‘Reason players want to be a Rooster’ | 03:02<\/p>\n
Today, the conversation has expanded and so too have the expectations. We debate tactics. We analyse selections. We question performances. We critique playing rosters and coaching styles. <\/p>\n
We expect more \u2014 and that\u2019s a positive thing. <\/p>\n
WATCH THE WARRIORS<\/p>\n
The Warriors are yet to field what many believe is their strongest side, but there were signs in Round 3 of what they could become. <\/p>\n
After their Round 2 defeat to Canberra, they responded with a commanding 38-point win over the Cowboys, led by a Lavinia Tauhalaliku four-try haul. <\/p>\n
More importantly, they did it without international stars Mele Hufanga and Gayle Broughton who are both still working their way back from injury. <\/p>\n
That makes the Warriors one of the competition\u2019s great unknowns. Their biggest tests against Brisbane and the Roosters won\u2019t come until the closing rounds of the season, by which time they are expected to be much closer to full strength. <\/p>\n
Until then, they\u2019ll continue to build away from the spotlight, making it difficult to know just how high their ceiling really is. The season is still revealing itself. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve followed the conversation around the NRLW this week, you\u2019ll have noticed two themes. The first centred…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":538403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-538402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=538402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/538402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=538402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=538402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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