NRLW’s 491-day hiatus ends but path to professionalism remains unclear

The Broncos NRLW team train with the men’s team last week at Clive Berghofer Field in Red Hill, Brisbane. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

It could be argued that the NRL really understands how to build anticipation for its women’s game. That would, of course, be a very generous interpretation of the situation that has led to a 491-day break since the last time an NRLW game was played.

The 2021 season, which was originally slated to take place in August and then pushed back to October, was moved to 2022 due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said at the time that the delay offered an opportunity to commit to the women’s game completely in 2022.