EXCLUSIVE: Expanded NRLW competition to 'force clubs to be better', says Ruan Sims

Women's rugby league trailblazer Ruan Sims believes the NRLW's expansion to 12 teams this season will not threaten the overall quality of the game but instead serve as a catalyst for development.

With the return of the Warriors following a four-season hiatus and the introduction of the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2025, the league has never been in a stronger position.

While concerns have been raised that the competition's expansion could stretch the existing talent pool too thin, Sims is an advocate for the continued growth of the NRLW.

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"I understand that people always have a concern that when new teams are added, it dilutes the talent. I do understand that," she told Nine's NRLW Weekly podcast.

"However, the NRLW, the way that it has expanded — which sometimes, to my consternation — it's gone not slowly, but has been very measured in its approach. I also understand this, but I'm very much like, 'Go, push, push, push'."

While the competition may not have expanded as quickly as she would have liked previously, Sims acknowledges that the league has benefited from a thoughtful and controlled expansion strategy to ensure sustainability and progressively elevate the standard of play.

"You have to have both sides of that coin," she said.

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"You have to have a side that is pushing and a side that is going, 'Well, hang on a minute, let's have a look at this'. Because then you find a really great balance of when to take the risk and when to hold.

"I think the NRLW has done this quite well.

"Obviously, from the start, I thought it should have been six teams from the get-go. I don't believe we should have stayed at four for as long as we did. However, it's done and we've progressed at a sustainable rate."

Sims sees this season's expansion as an opportunity to improve the profile of the NRLW by increasing the competition's geographical reach, fostering new talent pathways, and increasing its competitiveness for talent.

"When you add new teams, you force clubs to become more innovative in their approach, and that means looking at other sports, that means looking abroad," she said.

"You're looking at players from rugby sevens, netball, basketball — you're looking at all different types of sports where women are very athletic and they want to have a crack at rugby league. Or maybe athletes who played rugby league when they were little, and then they had to stop, but now they can go through [a pathway].

"You are tempering that with the young talent that is now starting to push its way into the NRLW, who haven't had to put a football down.

"So, to me, it makes sense to add these teams and it has been done in a very measured way. I believe it won't dilute the talent, it will actually force clubs to be better and to find new avenues for players, and to continue to grow their junior pathways."

Sims also trusts that as the NRLW grows and offers more opportunities, it will attract "higher quality coaches and staff" to the competition.

Co-host and NRLW sideline reporter Marlee Silva agreed that expansions spark innovation.

Both the Warriors and Bulldogs have made strong recruitment drives ahead of their campaigns.

The Bulldogs have built a squad with a mix of experienced NRLW players, including the significant signings of Tayla Preston, Holli Wheeler, Tegan Dymock, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa, and Kalosipani Hopoate and promising juniors such as Alexis Tauaneai.

In their return, the Warriors have brought in elite rugby sevens talent through Olympic gold medallist Michaela Brake, in what Sims penned a "pretty impressive-looking squad".

"I'm really chuffed to see the Warriors back in the fold. Obviously, they were part of the NRLW in 2018, when the competition first kicked off, and it's great to see them back in," Sims said.

"The Pacific is such a huge part of rugby league, and it is important we include our Maori and Kiwi and our Pacifica teams and players in this competition because they're a wealth of talent and it adds this beautiful cultural element that we love to see every time these players take the field."