Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said the relationship between his organisation and the Wallaroos was “a strong one” as he helped to announce the side’s new sponsorship deal that runs until Australia’s home World Cup in 2029.
Specific criticisms of RA included their financial management, including a reference to the $5 million deal for Sydney Roosters’ Joseph Suaalii, and the lack of a full-time coach for the Wallaroos. “I think a really important lesson was communication and we’ve got to communicate with our athletes,” Waugh said. “We had the journey mapped out , we certainly had a strategy for investing more into female athletes.
“I think we need to aspire to that , I think that as I said, to perform in 2029, you’ve got to be investing now,” Waugh said. “The more we can invest into the women’s game particularly with that growth within the community part of the game for female participants ... ideally we can accelerate to full-time Wallaroos as quick as we can.”Duck, who was one of the players who posted the open letter on social media last August, said that RA have “listened” to the players.