NRLW secures big exposure amid timeslot challenges

Scott Bailey | April 27, 2023

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is confident timeslot clashes between men’s and women’s matches will only be a short-term issue after fans were asked to pick between games when the NRLW kicks off this season.

The NRL revealed its women’s draw for 2023 on Thursday, with the league expanding to 10 teams and a nine-round regular season.

Gold Coast will host North Queensland in the season opener on July 22, one of three matches to be played on the competition’s opening day.

Newcomers Cronulla and Canberra will also clash in the opening round, while Wests Tigers’ inaugural match will be against Parramatta.

In a significant boost, all 48 NRLW matches will be shown on free-to-air TV via the Nine Network, placing it above the likes of the WBBL, A-League Women and AFLW in terms of coverage.

Most rounds will include a double-header, while every team will play at least one match at the same venue as their men’s side.

There will also be prime-time Thursday night games in the final two rounds, with the men’s finals leaving the spot vacant.

But there are challenges.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup has left the NRL with less flexibility in stadiums, while the desire to play most games on weekends has limited the available timeslots.

As revealed by AAP on Wednesday, 15 NRLW games will clash with men’s matches, leaving viewers to choose between the competitions.

It marks the first time the NRL has had fans regularly choose between the broadcast of games since 2013.

Concurrent Friday night matches were played in the men’s competition as recently as 2016 but with split broadcasts.

“We are treating this year as a test run too,” NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told AAP.

“It’s not set in stone for the next couple of years.

“This particular season we have a couple of challenges. We have the FIFA Women’s World Cup and we lose a lot of stadiums. We have more constraints than normal.

“In future years we are going to think innovatively about how we can avoid slot clashes.

“But as the competition grows, you are going to have to find a slot for these fixtures.”

The clashes do present some positives, with Nine able to offer free-to-air rugby league throughout the weekend.

“They are very excited about this and we wanted to make sure it was on the main channel, being promoted in all markets,” Abdo said.

“So it’s great exposure for our players and clubs.”

The announcement comes after Papua New Guinea international Elsie Albert became the latest big-name player to trade clubs on Thursday, moving from St George Illawarra to Parramatta.

The Sydney Roosters have re-signed 2019 Dally M medallist Jess Sergis, while adding five-eighth Tarryn Aiken to their roster.

Aiken won two premierships in her four seasons with Brisbane and, like Sergis, is a Jillaroos and State of Origin representative.