Nathan-Wong has been involved in the Black Ferns Sevens programme since her debut in 2012 at the age of 18. She has been a pivotal player for the Black Ferns Sevens during this time, achieving a number of milestones on the world stage. Notably she has won two Sevens Rugby World Cups, Olympic silver and gold medals, Commonwealth Games bronze and gold medals, alongside seven Sevens World Series titles.
The 28-year-old said league has always been in her blood and the opportunity to play in the NRLW was a dream.
“I come from a big league family, so that’s where my love for league has always been,” Nathan-Wong said.
“That was my very first sport as a kid at like six years old. I was playing alongside the boys and my cousins and dad were the coaches. I’ve always had this massive love for league and followed the NRL. When the NRLW first started a few years back I was like, ‘man, that is so cool’. Obviously I was in the thick of it with the sevens programme then and been like, ‘how cool would it be to one day jump across’. Post-Tokyo Olympics that actually sprung up again and I thought this could actually be a viable option for me.
“We forecast ahead and looked at what the season would look like and there was this big break at the end of 2023. That’s the perfect opportunity to finally allow this other dream of mine to finally come to fruition and really jump in head first into it and that’s what I’ve done.”
Nathan-Wong also thanked NZR for allowing her to pursue her personal goal and left the door open to a return to the sevens environment for next year’s Olympics in Paris.
“If you said you didn’t want to go to the Olympics you’re lying. Everyone in their right mind, no matter what sport they play, the Olympics is the pinnacle of everything. That’s still a goal of mine to achieve next year. This is just a sideways step in my period to lead towards that.
“But I know I’m going to be able to develop my game massively and learn so much from the game of league that is just going to enhance my rugby skills when I eventually do make that step back to sevens, if that’s my decision at the end of this.”
Black Ferns Sevens head coach Cory Sweeney extended his support for Nathan-Wong’s new challenge and hoped she would return for next year’s Olympics.
“Tyla has been a huge part of our team for some time now, it is unsurprising to have an athlete of her calibre to be sought after by another code. While the timing is not ideal being a year out from the 2024 Paris Olympics, we wish her all the best with this next chapter in her career. We will certainly be staying in touch with her about a possible return to the programme with a view to being a part of next year’s Olympic campaign.”
NZR general manager of professional rugby and performance Chris Lendrum noted the increasing number of options available for professional women’s rugby players to explore.
“After 12 years with the Black Ferns Sevens, Tyla has played her part in achieving the many successes of the Black Ferns Sevens, and we are grateful and thank Tyla for her contribution.
“Our women’s professional players have an increasing number of opportunities available to them. We are working hard to ensure we are building competitions and a pathway in the women’s game that our players want to play in, but we are not yet in a finished state. We need to maintain an open mind to retaining talent in this space and provide solutions that meet the needs of both players and NZR.”
