DW: Why did it come to an end?
TS: The role ended for me before the 2025 season even began – but I only found that out because I reached out to them. No one from Fox had contacted me during the off-season, so two weeks before Round 1, I emailed to check in and confirm everything was good to go. That’s when I was told they were using a “cross-code resource” instead, due to budgeting reasons tied to the pending sale of the business (to DAZN). I was disappointed, but what stung more was that there was never any intention to let me know.

After telling me I was no longer doing the NZ sideline role, they said they’d let me know when other opportunities came up for me. So when I moved to Sydney shortly after and let them know I was available for any other opportunities, I still believed there was an open door.

But instead, a few weeks later, I read an anonymous quote from a senior Fox source in the Daily Mail saying I no longer worked for the network “in any capacity”. That was the first and only confirmation I had that the relationship was fully over. It was a devastating way to find out.

DW: What opportunities have come your way since?
TS: In the rugby league media space, no new opportunities have come my way since.

DW: Why have you struggled to land a role?
TS: That’s the question, isn’t it? It’s not due to lack of audience support – that’s been overwhelming. It’s not about performance, talent or knowledge either; I have been publicly praised for all of these attributes and internally praised as well.

I can only speculate why no one has made the logical decision to hire me. Rugby league media is very conservative when it comes to female representation. The men are allowed to be edgy, loud, have huge personalities and take up space. But women have to toe the line of being attractive – but not too sexy. Knowledgeable – but not enough to outshine your male counterparts.

Unfortunately for me, the audience became so loud about my presence that it became clear – that if I gained any more airtime, I was going to outgrow the sideline role.

What I’ve come to realise is that sometimes, when you don’t fit a traditional mould – especially as a woman in rugby league – you become harder for the system to place. I’m not a former player. I’m not someone’s daughter. I didn’t come through the usual production lines.

I’m a girl from New Zealand, with a unique perspective on the game, who built my own audience, my own voice, and I didn’t shrink myself to be palatable.

And while that resonates deeply with viewers, it can challenge the old structures behind the scenes. I disrupted the hierarchy behind how this type of role is usually played. I blew the lid off the expectations they had of me – in the best way possible – but I guess they wanted safe, and predictable, not explosive and exciting.

DW: Do you feel you have been treated unfairly by Fox?
TS: Yes, I do. I was never told I was being removed from the New Zealand sideline role. I’ve received no support or protection in the face of rumours that were created by others.

I was left to manage the fallout entirely on my own, while others were protected – including some whose actions impacted me. Over time, I became increasingly isolated from the team, despite doing everything right and going above and beyond in my role.

So yes, I believe I was treated unfairly. Not just in how things ended, but in how I was left out, unsupported, and ultimately erased without explanation.

DW: What support have you had from other NRL presenters?
TS: None. Not a single one has reached out to me, publicly or privately. And yet, they’ve watched on. While I was doing something bold and different – I saw them silently keeping tabs. Views on stories, saving my videos, and quiet monitoring. But never a word. No message of support. No check-in. Not during the rise, and not during the fallout. But they’re still watching, even now.

That silence has been loud. I’ve realised not everyone wants the system to shift.

DW: How many jobs have you applied for?
TS: In this industry, especially as on-air talent, you don’t apply for roles the way you would in a traditional job market. There are only a handful of networks with rugby league rights, and these roles aren’t advertised; they’re cast. It’s about relationships, timing, and internal politics.

I’ve made myself available. I’ve stayed visible. I’ve had meetings. I was told by Triple M I’d get more shifts when I moved to Sydney – that didn’t happen. I met with Channel 9 – nothing came from it. But more importantly, I’ve continued to build public momentum. My name has been consistently in the conversation.

The audience support and demand for my return have been loud. And that’s what makes the silence even more glaring. At the height of my relevance, when I was resonating with fans and making an impact, I should have been snapped up. Meanwhile, there are men in this industry who’ve done genuinely egregious things – been publicly fired – and still walked straight into jobs at rival networks.

The fact that I’ve been completely overlooked – after all that I’ve built – says everything. It’s an ugly stain on rugby league media. And everyone who’s stayed silent is complicit in letting it sit there.

DW: Are you concerned that by reposting positive feedback that employers could be turned off?
TS: In what world does positive audience feedback turn employers off? If anything, that should be the most valuable signal that someone is resonating and connecting with the public.

I didn’t start reposting comments or speaking out until I realised I was already being intentionally iced out. No one was coming my way. No one was reaching out. My hand was forced. Not because I wanted attention, but because it became clear that if I stayed silent, they would’ve successfully erased me.

I’m not the one who made this messy; I’m just the one who finally said it out loud. I’ve simply shone a light on what’s already been happening. And if that makes people uncomfortable, it says more about them than it does about me.

DW: It was written that you are a victim of a boys’ club in rugby league. Is this the case?
TS: Yes, 100 per cent. What else could possibly explain it?

A rising breakout talent, praised for performance, deep game knowledge, and a unique perspective. Someone who built her own audience, drove ratings, brought in new viewers, and was the sole reason many people tuned in at all. And is still completely iced out of the industry.

No formal explanation. No public misstep. No lack of demand. Over a year later, I still receive constant messages asking where I am and why I haven’t been brought back. So if it’s not the boys’ club, then genuinely, I’d love to hear what it is.

And the shame of it all is that a small group of men in power are actively blocking the game from reaching a new level and a new audience. They talk about wanting to break into the American market – I already have an American audience. They found me through sideline photos and content, and they stayed. They’ve been introduced to the game because of me.

American sports culture doesn’t want bland. It wants bold, flashy, magnetic. That’s exactly what I brought, and they noticed.

But now, I’m not there to introduce them to rugby league any more. And the fact that the NRL hasn’t stepped in to fix that – to ask why one of their most resonant new voices has been iced out – is honestly shocking. Because this isn’t just a missed opportunity for me. It’s a missed opportunity for the sport.

DW: Did a late-night phone call to a Fox reporter work against you?
TS: The phone call situation that was reported wasn’t the reason I was removed. But once I started gaining visibility and attention, it felt like that moment became an easy narrative to use against me – despite senior staff being completely unfazed by it when it happened.
I was told by someone else in the team that senior management laughed it off. I was then rostered for the entire season of Warriors’ home games.
I want to make it very clear: it was an innocent phone call I made all the way from New Zealand, to a colleague I considered a friend. He had also made it very clear to me that he was single, so I saw no issue in calling him for a chat while I was on my way home from a night out.
Unfortunately, I had obviously been misled, and I copped the backlash publicly for something I was a victim in, too.
I was left to carry the full weight of the fallout alone.

DW: Are you angry at how you have been portrayed?
TS: Of course, I am. I did everything right. I came prepared, knowledgeable, efficient, easy to work with, friendly to chat with, easy to get along with. I was loved by the audience and brought a fresh, new perspective to the game. I stayed quiet when I needed to, even when it cost me personally. I toed the line when it mattered. And still, this happened to me.

I’m trying to move on, but the weight of it all is heavy. Because when I sit with what’s happened – the cruelty, the injustice – it kills me. It’s unbearable. And what’s worse? No one in the industry seems to care.

DW: Do you fear you will never get the chance to work again?
TS: I’ve accepted that I probably won’t work in rugby league media again – at least not the way it’s currently run or with the people who hold the broadcast rights. I came to terms with that not long after moving to Sydney.

Back then, I thought maybe they just didn’t realise how much the audience connected with me. But in time, I saw the truth. They did see it, they just didn’t care. And they didn’t want any part of it.

I love rugby league. It will always be part of who I am. But I’ve had to let go of trying to belong somewhere that never protected me, never valued me, and ultimately chose to exclude me.

I’m taking my time with what’s next. I’m not chasing a quick fix. I know what I’ve built with my audience, and I want to move forward in a way that honours that. I’m confident that where I eventually land will be bigger, better, and backed by a team that gets it.

Galvin becoming top Dog at Belmore

Lachlan Galvin is not Johnathan Thurston, but he is playing with the same energy and involvement as the great man. He had 77 touches in his first game as the Bulldogs’ No.7. The last was as a match-winner, which is the kind of mark Thurston would make in a game.

News Corp’s selective reporting and rewriting of history when it comes to Galvin and the Bulldogs is noticeable. One veteran scribe suggested the recruit needed to play the season in reserve grade, while in the same breath, was trying to claim credit for saying he would be the team’s first grade No.7 last week.

He also gave stats as to why Toby Sexton should not be in the team. The flipping and flopping on that matter is impossible to follow. At least some of his colleagues are now calling him out on this. The selective reporting continued when it came to giving Sexton high praise for his performance in the Bulldogs’ thumping win in reserve grade last week. Yes, Sexton scored 18 points via nine goals, but the real star in the halves that day was Mitchell Woods.

That was conveniently ignored when trying to reinforce an agenda of creating tension around the non-selection of Sexton as starting halfback for the Bulldogs. The stats – which we accept are not always the true measure of a performance – were overwhelmingly in favour of Woods. The half had four try assists and scored one of his own in a dominant performance. Sexton had one try assist.

This is not highlighted to criticise Sexton, who had an excellent game, though he simply wasn’t as effective as Woods. Unfortunately, Sexton is being used as a tool by News Corp to try and create division within the Bulldogs ranks. If they fall anywhere short of the grand final, Sexton’s non-selection will be tossed up as the reason.

Gardiner’s legal route over McKinnon furore

Outgoing Knights boss Phil Gardiner is having a legal crack at the media who reported on a situation involving Alex McKinnon and the way he was treated by the Knights at a recent home game.

Gardiner has fired off legal letters alleging he was defamed, following claims McKinnon had to pay his own way into the game against the Storm two weeks ago, on the same day a charity that assists those with disabilities was being promoted.

You will remember McKinnon’s life changed forever when he broke his neck during an on-field incident in a match against the Storm in 2014. The Knights are adamant McKinnon was offered tickets that day (they say he has a lifetime pass), and was aware of the charity involvement.

Gardiner was so dismayed by the reports that he has now gone down the legal route. The sad thing is that McKinnon is involved. He has suffered enough and should always feel welcome at every opportunity. The Knights say he is always a priority for them.

NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now

Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.