Rugby league has been seen as only a man’s game for many, many years – but no longer, according to footy legend Laurie Daley.
The 53-year-old NSW, Kangaroos and Raiders great has firmly believes women are ready to makes waves in the NRL’s top coaching roles.
It comes as the NRLW gets ready for its sixth season amidst a stunning rise in popularity, culminating in more than 42,000 people watching Millie Boyle’s Newcastle Knights defeat Parramatta in this year’s grand final.
Daley has been a very vocal supporter of not only the NRLW since its inception, but of more girls and women playing and being involved with the game. He insists it’s ‘inevitable’ there will be a female coach at the top level in male footy very soon.
Footy legend Laurie Daley believes the NRL will, at some point in the next five to 10 years, see females flourish coaching at the highest level for males
‘I think in the next five years we might start to see women as assistant coaches and then in ten years we might see our first-ever NRL female head coach. There are opportunities there now that weren’t there years ago,’ he told News Corp.
‘I think it’s inevitable that it will happen, a woman being a head coach or an assistant coach. That’s the way we’re tracking.’
Daley’s comments are not part of a PR exercise driven by the governing body.
His message is about females who have the same coaching and mentoring credentials of their male counterparts – of which there are many – being empowered to apply for and receive coaching roles they will excel in.
Kylie Hilder (centre) and Ruan Sims (right), who were part of the victorious NSW coaching panel in this year’s State of Origin series, could succeed mentoring either gender
Two of the highest-profile examples are former NRLW, Blues and Australian stars Ruan Sims and Kylie Hilder, who both seem perfectly poised to shatter the glass ceiling in rugby league.
Sims, who is probably just as well known these days as her NRL star brothers Tariq, Ashton and Korbin, knows the men’s game intimately through her family and high-profile broadcasting role.
Ruan Sims OAM is one of the game’s most recognisable figures, and has already had significant success in coaching roles, despite having to cram in with extensive broadcasting commitments
So well versed is she in the playing, coaching and commentary roles she’s held in both the men’s and women’s game, she received an OAM last year for her services to rugby league.
Hilder has more actual coaching pedigree, having guided the Blues to a State of Origin victory this season.
The man who succeeded Daley as NSW coach, Brad Fittler, brought Hilder into the Blues coaching box and continues to mentor her.
Kylie Hilder, who currently coaches the NSW Women’s State of Origin side, is one mentor tipped for big things in the game: with either male or female sides
Daley said women like Hilder and Sims – and up-and-coming counterparts like Queensland’s Tahnee Norris and Western NSW Indigenous product Jess Skinner – could see themselves at the top level one day soon.
‘If they get an opportunity and are prepared to put in the hard work then I think they would do a good job. I can see no reason why it wouldn’t be accepted,’ he said.
‘There is certainly an opportunity for one or two women to be promoted into those roles. Maybe it could start with a coaching job in the under-20s, SG Ball, Jersey Flegg but eventually they would get there.’
Top footy pundit Michelle Bishop, who shattered her own glass ceiling in the male-dominated world of sports journalism, appreciated the sentiment – but questioned why Daley felt the need to say it could only happen in several years time.
Female footy superstars Jess Sergis and Isabelle Kelly hoist Kylie Hilder on their shoulders after she led NSW to their first Women’s State of Origin in three years earlier this season
‘Laurie Daley has suggested that we will see a female full-time assistant coach within five years. He then talked about 10 years down the track that we’ll see a head coaching position held by women in the NRL,’ she said on SEN.
‘He says it’s inevitable and it is. (But) Why are we putting a time frame on this?
‘I just don’t want it to be a ticking box exercise and they have got to be the right person for the job.
‘Let it just play it out naturally and be genuine about it. Who knows? We could see someone in two or three years.’
Before she turned her hand to coaching, Kylie Hilder (centre, holding ball) was a top, no-nonsense hooker who could run all day
That’s something ‘other’ major footy code in the country has gotten right much better: Australian Rules.
As per usual, the AFL has led the way, by a significant amount, when it comes to ensuring something isn’t a ‘box-ticking exercise’ – but instead is of tangible and important value to the game.
For almost a decade, the AFL have worked hard at fostering elite female coaching talent and employing them in roles that they are just as qualified for as any male is.
After a storied playing, coaching and teaching career, trailblazer Peta Searle became the first woman to earn a full-time coaching role in a male AFL program way back in 2014 with St Kilda.
Peta Searle (left, pictured with top footy pundit Sam Lane) made history when she became the first female to have a full-time coaching role at a male AFL club eight years ago
Geelong have already indicated they are keen for AFLW legend Daisy Pearce to be an assistant coach with the men’s side; and the league’s Women’s Coaching Acceleration program has ensured there is a huge array of both former players and mentors that are poised to make waves in an AFL program of either gender.
But, one step at a time.
Having footy legends like Daley and Fittler championing female coaches – even though the governing body doesn’t appear to offer much help – is a massive step in the right direction.
Rugby league, as any sport, is better with a variety of genders, races and ages having a say in mentoring both young players and elite stars.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
