Women's Warriors player Alice Vailea (right) and Keita-Luca Eparaima, 4, during a rugby league workshop at Puketawhero Park. Photo / Ben Fraser
Women's Warriors player Alice Vailea (right) and Keita-Luca Eparaima, 4, during a rugby league workshop at Puketawhero Park. Photo / Ben Fraser
This year the NRL took a massive step towards equality with the introduction of the inaugural Women's Premiership.
The competition comprised teams from four NRL clubs, including the Vodafone Warriors.
In an effort to grow the women's game, showing young girls that there is a top tier competition to aim for is a start. The next step is creating an effective pathway for them to get there.
Some of the Warriors women played their part yesterday,as they took a group of Bay of Plenty girls for a rugby league workshop at Puketawhero Park in Rotorua.
Bay of Plenty Rugby League junior football operations manager Veena Kameta said the organisation had been working on getting more girls involved in the sport and a visit from the Warriors was a big help.
Bay of Plenty rugby league players Rhyleigh Uatuku (left), 13, Cavelle Uatuku (right-centre), 14, and Vineta Manu, 13, with Warriors women's player Alice Vailea. Photo / Supplied
"We've been doing some development with these girls since April and we initiated a team into the North Island inter-district tournament and the New Zealand Māori tournament. We don't have a competition, or a school competition, but our goal was to umbrella a form of development.
"The long term goal, with the support of the community, the clubs and our schools, is to have a girls' competition. Up to 12 years old they can play in the mixed competition, but from 13 onwards there's nothing else."
She said the aim of the workshop with the Warriors players was to show the girls they had something to aim for.
"It shows them there's an opportunity there if you you're willing to put the work in. Secondly is for them to reconnect with girls they've met at other training sessions and games.
"The other thing we want is for them to keep growing that interest in the game and spread the word - go back to their communities and their schools and tell their friends how much fun they had.
Women's Warriors player Alice Vailea (right) and Keita-Luca Eparaima, 4, during a rugby league workshop at Puketawhero Park. Photo / Ben Fraser
"We were blown away when the Warriors said they would come. I got their response within a week and when we put the word out it was really well received.
"Women have a good tight bond and good strengths. Women have this feminine thing about us, that we can get things done, we can lead and create, it's almost like a secret language between us, a sisterhood."
Warriors player Annetta Nuuausala said at the end of the day, the most important thing was that the girls had fun.
"We're just trying to pave that pathway for the girls and it has to start somewhere, so here we are. There's a lot of talent coming through and I honestly can't wait to see our younger generation come through."
She loved being part of the first women's NRL competition.
"It's an awesome feeling, just to know that you're making history. It will only start to build from here and I can't wait to see what we have for upcoming years.
"We need to make sure there are more options for our girls because at the end of the day we do want to grow the game - women can do what men can do," Nuuausala said.
