In the NRL world – and women’s sport more broadly – Tiana Penitani is a force to be reckoned with. Missing Perspectives was lucky enough to catchup with Tiana ahead of the NRLW Grand Final this weekend – where she’ll be captaining the Cronulla Sharks (and of course, we’re low-key hoping they win – sorry Roosters).
If Tiana isn’t already on your radar: the NRLW star and Fox League commentator has cemented her status as one of the top players in NRLW over the last two years. She was also the youngest player to represent a senior Australian rugby team when she was selected for the Sevens World Cup back in 2013 (fun fact: Tiana actually played Rugby Sevens with Chloe Dalton of The Female Athlete Project – we love seeing female athletes also dominating the media space).
So how does Tiana prepare for a busy week ahead – not only the NRLW Grand Final, but also photoshoots and the flagship NRL awards night, the Dally Ms?
“There’s loads of outside noise in the lead-up,” Tiana tells Missing Perspectives. “There are quite a few events – including fan fest, club presentations. Then a few of us are going to the Dally Ms this week. What prep looks like? Business as usual. We’ll roll into recovery and review on Monday, and norming training schedules. Then we work backwards from game day.
“Game days – particularly for away games – are loads of fun. We most likely stay overnight somewhere as a team – have brekky, have a stretch, go get a coffee and spend the morning as a tight-knit group. Then it’s game on,” Tiana says.
Tiana has had a very impressive career, spanning multiple sports, including Union, Oztag, and League, and now also commentating with Fox League (“the journey has been pretty unreal, to be honest,” she says). Tiana tells me that the reason she ultimately chose rugby league was that she grew up watching league in her family. As with many female league players of Tiana’s generation, she played league up until the age where women could in the boys competition – and then had to stop (read: because she was a woman). She says that girls in her competition went on to “play a ton of different other sports – and were successful, and played at a high level.”
Interestingly, what made Tiana head back to Rugby League was watching the first ever women’s state of origin in 2018, which she watched on television – and the NRLW.
“I was completely in awe of where the NRLW was, and that there was a platform for the girls. That’s what enticed me back to the sport, and it was kind of full circle.”
If this isn’t a case study on how broadcasting women’s sport encourages female participation – then I don’t know what is. “I agree,” Tiana says. “You can’t be what you can’t see. It’s so important to put the product out there, and invest, and showcase what female athletes – and any minority – can do.”
Being captain of the Cronulla Sharks is an honour and responsibility that she doesn’t take lightly. “I never really set it as my goal to be a captain. I guess natural leaders fall into those leadership roles – and being the oldest child probably had something to do with that,” she jokes. “I’ve always wanted to be someone they [the players] can look to. I’m a big believer in leading by example – not just words but also actions. I try to be that person and the rest comes off the back of that aspiration. I’ve got the most incredible bunch of girls and they make my job as leader so important.”
It’s an exciting time to be a woman in NRL – and Tiana is passionate about inspiring and encouraging the next generation who are starting to come up the ranks. “The calibre of rookies in 2024 is brilliant,” she says. “The next 10 years will be so exciting to see the fruit of that hard work.” Her message for younger players? “Keep working hard. Don’t get too ahead of yourself and set short term and achievable goals – and then work away tirelessly at that.”
Despite the NRL season coming to an end, the action will roll on into October with the Pacific Championships kicking off – with every game streaming live on Kayo Sports and available on Foxtel.