Ali Brigginshaw announced she will retire after this year’s NRLW grand final. In her last press conference she asked the NRL to create a chief executive role solely for the women’s competition.

Brigginshaw joked that the new CEO could be a current player, naming fellow retiring star Millie Elliott as a possible candidate who understands the game from the inside.

At present the NRL’s chief executive oversees both the men’s and women’s leagues, meaning the NRLW does not have its own dedicated senior leader.

By contrast, the AFL Women’s competition has always been run by its own chief executive, currently Laura Kane, giving it a separate governance structure.

Brigginshaw argued that a dedicated chief executive would let the NRLW shape its own direction instead of simply following the men’s model, and would give a clearer voice to players and staff.