NRLW players withdraw from rugby tournament after bizarre Jesse Southwell call up
NRLW players have withdrawn from an unsanctioned rugby sevens competition in Queensland after warnings from clubs, with Australian star Jesse Southwell bizarrely named despite being in Jillaroos camp.
NRLW stars have been warned of the injury risks of playing unsanctioned tournaments with rival sports in the inactive period after Jillaroos ace Jesse Southwell was unexpectedly named among others in a Queensland rugby sevens squad in Brisbane last week.
Southwell, who has signed a two-year-deal with NRLW premiers Brisbane from next season, was a surprise inclusion in the GPS squad for the Caslick Cup, with other NRLW players Georgia Grey, Emily Bass, Jetaya Faifua and Bridget Hoy also named by Queensland Rugby.
While it’s understood all of the NRLW contracted players have opted not to take the risk to play, it sparked fears Southwell could be on the radar of the rival code as she nears the prime of her career.
Southwell has a background with Australian rugby sevens, but is unlikely to be on the radar of Rugby Australia for the sevens side at the end of her two-year deal with the Broncos.
However, the Wallaroos may be an option if she’s interested in the 15-a-side sport ahead of the next World Cup in 2029.
Nevertheless, the 20-year-old is in camp with the Jillaroos in New Zealand after steering Australia to a 60-0 win over Samoa on Sunday, while Faifua was with the Samoan squad across the last two weeks of the Pacific Championships.
“We’re very accommodating of the girls going into semi-professional and professional environments in the off-season, if it’s a recognised competition, with medical support and a team of physios,” said Broncos head of NRLW and game development.
“The super rugby is an example and we’ve always been supportive of our girls going to play in that, only because they’re going to pretty much professional clubs, effectively we’re saying as long as you look after the player for as long as they’re playing for you, and what they’re doing over there doesn’t impact what they’ve signed on to do with us.”
The Broncos have been in talks with Southwell around a stint in with the Queensland Reds over the NRLW inactive period, a move they encourage for players who want to stay active before the rugby league season starts around April next year.
However, those discussions have cooled off with Southwell now expected to start optional training with the Broncos in the new year.
It comes at an awkward time for NRLW clubs, with players now essentially inactive for the next five months until pre-season starts and many opting to play rival sports with their free time.
There is no mandate from the NRL on how to handle the gap between seasons and each club is given the freedom to approve or deny requests from players.
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The NRLW is expected to be professional with 12-month contracts by 2028, but in the meantime it’s a grey area.
“The biggest reason we’re supportive of it is there’s a six month window where, if they wanted to, could just literally sit at home and do nothing. From a high performance point of view it’s pretty poor if you’re happy to have your players sit at home and have five months off,” Dyer said.
“We’ve had girls go to Japanese rugby because there’s a tournament that runs over there through the Christmas break, we’re supportive of it because they have a break, they get themselves going again, stay fit and strong rather than sitting at home with friends and family.”
Originally published as NRLW players withdraw from rugby tournament after bizarre Jesse Southwell call up
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