NRLW

[Woody90]

What on earth is going on at the club? The coach is still there, so you’d have to think it isn’t to do with him- surely they’d move him on before agreeing to let go the two most important players in the team.

One of my wife’s friends plays in the NRLW. I won’t name who but used to be at the Knights but no longer. Apparently the culture within the women’s team is terrible, lots of infighting between the players, isolating some players, etc (doesn’t extend to the men’s team apparently who are a pretty tight unit).

She didn’t clarify if it’s always been the case or more of a recent thing. Tbh I’ve been predicting cracks like this since I heard about it.

 

[macavity]

One of my wife’s friends plays in the NRLW. I won’t name who but used to be at the Knights but no longer. Apparently the culture within the women’s team is terrible, lots of infighting between the players, isolating some players, etc (doesn’t extend to the men’s team apparently who are a pretty tight unit).

She didn’t clarify if it’s always been the case or more of a recent thing. Tbh I’ve been predicting cracks like this since I heard about it.

I employ a lot of (mostly amazing) women and have for a long time.

Any more than 3-4 in one place for any length of time and they form teams to tear each other down.

They get offended when you point it out, but it happens every. single. time.

It needs to be very actively managed, sounds like Ron was a bit of a lady whisperer.

 

[Haffa]

sounds like Ron was a bit of a lady whisperer.

Watch her move to NZ

 

[macavity]

Watch her move to NZ

The quotes sounded like either NZ or Rugby.

 

[Woody90]

I employ a lot of (mostly amazing) women and have for a long time.

Any more than 3-4 in one place for any length of time and they form teams to tear each other down.

They get offended when you point it out, but it happens every. single. time.

It needs to be very actively managed, sounds like Ron was a bit of a lady whisperer.

Yeah unfortunately this is pretty consistent with what I heard. Lots of stuff around breakaway WhatsApp groups too that came out last year. I have to wonder it had something to do with the teams fall in form and Upton making comments about not having support. Most of it was put on the coach but seemed to be more than that.

 

[macavity]

Yeah unfortunately this is pretty consistent with what I heard. Lots of stuff around breakaway WhatsApp groups too that came out last year. I have to wonder it had something to do with the teams fall in form and Upton making comments about not having support. Most of it was put on the coach but seemed to be more than that.

Theres a reason Allah only lets you have up to 4 wives

 

[Seage]

Diabolical. Absolutely diabolical.

Even if there was lots of infighting, you'd think the captain and local girl would be the dominant personality and all the other girls would try and jump ship. Unless she has been identified as the cause of the problems and been fronted about it.

Oh well, wooden spoon here we come.

 

[Haffa]

Just make Clydesdale or Higgins captain.

 

[Rod]

I employ a lot of (mostly amazing) women and have for a long time.

Any more than 3-4 in one place for any length of time and they form teams to tear each other down.

They get offended when you point it out, but it happens every. single. time.

It needs to be very actively managed, sounds like Ron was a bit of a lady whisperer.

I'm glad someone else mentioned this as I didn't want to bring it up and it get misconstrued as sexist or whatever. But I really think womens sport is a lot different to mens. More cliques as you say, more little things and comments taken to heart where men are more likely to move on quick (this is weird too btw, some men can even punch on and it not be a big deal later that day).

The other factor is that the NRLW is still incredibly amateur compared to the NRL. We saw it with some of those rep teams picked at the end of last year. More personal agendas getting in the way of common goals (IMO).

 

[mozza91]

Chix! Am I right?

 

[Nuke]

Da f**k is going on there?
Whatever the root of the problem is, I hope they get on top of it and fast. We've gone from premiership contending team to goodness-knows how far down the ladder we're going to fall to this coming season on the back of whatever this problem is.

And as others have said regarding women coming together, I have seen both sides of it. I work in a mostly female line of work and have been at my workplace for 20yrs, so I certainly have seen women backstabbing, gossipping, tearing eachother down over, basically, nothing. Especially if, as is often the case, another female is in charge. Plenty of women are vocal about female empowerment, ect, but that goes out the window when it's their own workplace..!

The other side of it, in my experience, comes from my many years involved in my footy club, both on the ground as sports trainer / runner and in roles of club authority. Our women's teams, while there can be the odd person here or there that is offside with the rest of the group, I've generally seen them a unified group and work together. Largely due to the coach, I have to say. They'll either gel them together or they will collectively not like the coach and that unifies them that way.

Mostly, sadly, I find the first scenario to be the much more common one, based on my observations. If that's the story at the Knights, then I hope coach learns how to unify them and treats it as a high priority, otherwise we're going to keep bleeding quality players and be fighting not to win wooden spoons.

 

[Woody90]

Honestly I think Parr needs to step in, decide that that squad needs to be essentially gutted and start again. The coach can try and do as much culture building as he wants, but sometimes the only way to seriously change the culture of a group is to start fresh.

We’ve already lost a lot of our best players. Nothing to lose at this point.

Of course that’s only if the mass exodus is actually to do with the culture within the team and not just a bunch of isolated issues…but tbh since I was told how bad it was I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen.

 

[The Axe of Druss]

I think the bleed of players is caused by 2 things

1. An issue in the playing group which has led to Upton and Southwell leaving

2. The comp adding 2 new teams into the 2025 comp.

I don't think we can label it a "mass exodus" just yet given point 2. We still have a tonne of rep players in the squad so I'm hoping whatever personal issues existed have now been mitigated.

 

[aqua_duck]

I follow a few NRLW players on Instagram and there certainly seems to be 2-3 main cliques, lot of girls going on holidays together with girls from other teams, not much in the way of group stuff within the same teams, and to be fair it’s not isolated to us.
The issue is there is so much player movement and the season is so short the girls essentially don’t really spend that much time with their team mates, you get girls who have existing relationships within the same team and those relationships tend to get stronger and that clique becomes more solidified.
The men tend to have more stability, longer term contracts and hence relationships, spending way more time together through the year and week to week in terms of training and team activities.

 

[Apey]

Could be any number of factors. I don't really buy it's a coaching staff issue though, it doesn't pass the sniff test. We're stupid, but we're not lose your local captain and world's best player halfway through their 5 year deals over a random coach stupid.

I probably can't post the rumour I alluded to on here, but if you want to trawl through the Facebook comments on the Knights post about Hannah leaving, Upton actually commented on her personal account, denying them. Or the reddit post/other knights forum post on Upton (+Hannah) leaving has some scraps of information.

 

[Woody90]

Could be any number of factors. I don't really buy it's a coaching staff issue though, it doesn't pass the sniff test. We're stupid, but we're not lose your local captain and world's best player halfway through their 5 year deals over a random coach stupid.

I probably can't post the rumour I alluded to on here, but if you want to trawl through the Facebook comments on the Knights post about Hannah leaving, Upton actually commented on her personal account, denying them. Or the reddit post/other knights forum post on Upton (+Hannah) leaving has some scraps of information.

Yeah I don’t buy it being a coaching issue either. They’d 100% move on a no name coach rather than letting Upton AND Hannah walk.

 

[Haffa]

Could be any number of factors. I don't really buy it's a coaching staff issue though, it doesn't pass the sniff test. We're stupid, but we're not lose your local captain and world's best player halfway through their 5 year deals over a random coach stupid.

I probably can't post the rumour I alluded to on here, but if you want to trawl through the Facebook comments on the Knights post about Hannah leaving, Upton actually commented on her personal account, denying them. Or the reddit post/other knights forum post on Upton (+Hannah) leaving has some scraps of information.

Lots could be read into those comments I'd hate the speculate on a public forum but it seems clear.

The one thing I find strange is the lack of resilience which prompted Upton to even read the comments in the first place. Looking for reasons to be annoyed with the confused (facebook morons) fans.