Women’s Origin coaches want a slice of NRL Vegas action
Scott Bailey |
Jillaroos great Tahnee Norris has called for the NRL to put women back on the Las Vegas schedule, arguing for head office to take State of Origin to the US in 2026.
The Jillaroos became victims of their own success on Wednesday, with no women’s match on the schedule for next year’s Vegas fixtures.
The move to shrink the US extravaganza came after Australia’s 90-4 thumping of England there in March, with officials believing the four-game event was too long.
AAP understands the NRL is examining what the women’s schedule looks like for next year and beyond, with the game continuing to grow.
For now, it has left the women’s side of the code in an awkward predicament.
The NRL wants to keep an English Super League match on the Vegas draw to attract fans from the northern hemisphere, after doing so with great success this year.
Taking four NRL teams is also paramount for the league, with Canterbury, St George Illawarra, Newcastle and North Queensland all locked in for 2026.
But at the same time the women’s game is viewed as a genuine pathway for growth in the US, with no professional rugby or gridiron competitions in the country.
The news came on the eve of Thursday night’s second Origin clash in Sydney, with NSW pushing to wrap up the series.
And Norris, who now coaches the Maroons, believes Origin must be the answer.
“I was disappointed it wasn’t game one of the Origin series (this year),” said Norris, the most-capped Jillaroo in history.
“There were a lot of proposals put forward and that (Test against England) was what the NRL went with.
“If we took the women’s Origin over there it would have been a really good opportunity to show the best of our game.
“It needs that. It shows here, you look at the publicity after that last game when we had more than two million viewers watching State of Origin.
“If we put the best game out there, it will only get bigger and bigger.”
Women’s Origin is already used to kick off the Magic Round, with states relying on a six-week camp for preparation, with no NRLW matches before then.
Norris said a similar approach could be implemented for Vegas, with Blues coach John Strange also adamant there needs to be a women’s match on the fixture.
“It’s really important that they’re in there every year,” Strange said.
“It’s a great spectacle for not just for Australia, but for the world. But obviously a bit of thought needs to go into making sure it’s a good product.
“We all know what happened last year. It’s clear now that everyone knows that the domestic comp in NRLW is a lot stronger than the domestic comp in England.”
Strange backed Norris’s call for an Origin series opener in Vegas, or a grand-final rematch from the previous NRLW season.
“It’s just got to be a good spectacle,” Strange said.
AAP
