Brad Fittler has called on the NRLW to use a smaller ball and two greats of the women's game agree a size reduction would improve the product.
The third edition of NRLW kicks off on Saturday and the same size Steeden - identical to the NRL men's - will be in play.
Fittler, the NSW Origin coach, argued there was simple logic in downsizing, speaking for Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth.
"They have to make the ball smaller, it seems ridiculous," Fittler said.
"Just generally, women are smaller than men and the one thing I've found is the offloading – obviously the men from carrying the ball and practicing carrying the ball with one hand – I don't think women's hands are as big as men's, would that be right?
"I'm not sure what the women think of that but I just think it makes sense.
"It doesn't make the competition any different, it just makes it fairer...
"And kicking, advancing the kicking."
In Wide World of Sports' NRLW season preview, retired great Ruan Sims agreed that Fittler had a valid point.
"The WNBL play with a smaller ball, as do AFLW but at the moment Steeden doesn't make a ball that's in between size," Sims said.
"They've got the larger size at 37cm and then they've got a size at 34.
"So if Steeden could come up with a ball at 35.5cm – rugby union has that size ball... then I think it is a valid point.
"There's some top flight competitions that use a smaller ball for the women."
Another women's legend, Allana Ferguson, was also enthusiastic about a less is more approach.
"It comes back to the way we are built – we are different," Ferguson said.
"And whether that's passing or holding the football – Freddy was talking about the size of the football then – I also think when you take the size away, it also becomes how much it weighs.
"It needs to be that little bit lighter too, just for kicking game.
"And again, that just opens the game up even more.
"If I had a normal NRL ball in my hands right now and I tried to throw a bullet pass from left to right, I might throw it 33m.
"If I had a slightly smaller ball, a little bit lighter and I tried to do the same, I could probably throw it 36, 37.
"So they are the sort of little changes I think we need to look at and show some focus for women's rugby league to take it to another level.
"We're in our third year, we can continue to make those little developments and I think it's a small change, an area that could take our game to another level."
Brad Fittler has called on the NRLW to use a smaller ball and two greats of the women's game agree a size reduction would improve the product.
The third edition of NRLW kicks off on Saturday and the same size Steeden - identical to the NRL men's - will be in play.
Fittler, the NSW Origin coach, argued there was simple logic in downsizing, speaking for Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth.
"They have to make the ball smaller, it seems ridiculous," Fittler said.
"Just generally, women are smaller than men and the one thing I've found is the offloading – obviously the men from carrying the ball and practicing carrying the ball with one hand – I don't think women's hands are as big as men's, would that be right?
"I'm not sure what the women think of that but I just think it makes sense.
"It doesn't make the competition any different, it just makes it fairer...
"And kicking, advancing the kicking."
In Wide World of Sports' NRLW season preview, retired great Ruan Sims agreed that Fittler had a valid point.
"The WNBL play with a smaller ball, as do AFLW but at the moment Steeden doesn't make a ball that's in between size," Sims said.
"They've got the larger size at 37cm and then they've got a size at 34.
"So if Steeden could come up with a ball at 35.5cm – rugby union has that size ball... then I think it is a valid point.
"There's some top flight competitions that use a smaller ball for the women."
Another women's legend, Allana Ferguson, was also enthusiastic about a less is more approach.
"It comes back to the way we are built – we are different," Ferguson said.
"And whether that's passing or holding the football – Freddy was talking about the size of the football then – I also think when you take the size away, it also becomes how much it weighs.
"It needs to be that little bit lighter too, just for kicking game.
"And again, that just opens the game up even more.
"If I had a normal NRL ball in my hands right now and I tried to throw a bullet pass from left to right, I might throw it 33m.
"If I had a slightly smaller ball, a little bit lighter and I tried to do the same, I could probably throw it 36, 37.
"So they are the sort of little changes I think we need to look at and show some focus for women's rugby league to take it to another level.
"We're in our third year, we can continue to make those little developments and I think it's a small change, an area that could take our game to another level."
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