🏉 EXCLUSIVE CHAT | Tamika Upton Voices Her Concerns on the New NRLW Ball Size

David Lutteral (0:05)

Now the NRLW finals are upon us, and we are joined by the best player in the world.

Susie O'Neill (0:28)

Join us next year.

Kip Wightman (0:29)

Yes, that's all me, Tamika.

David Lutteral (0:31)

Bit of battling.

Susie O'Neill (0:31)

That's so good. Do you love it when you hear that, Tamika?

Kip Wightman (0:33)

Yeah, you should have sent a giggling away to yourself here in a fancy Nike top.

Broncos v. Knights, elimination final, tomorrow, 4.05pm, Totally Workwear Stadium. For those that don't know, that's the old Langlands Park East. When I say the old, it's actually a great facility. Very close action for spectators, great club there. So get along Saturday afternoon, make a day, but grab some lunch and then see the girls. Take on the Knights, this is it, elimination. You lose, you're gone, Tamika.

Tamika Upton (1:02)

Every game from now, and I think, you know, we've been building for a massive season. So when it gets to the point like this, yeah, it's all systems go.

Susie O'Neill (1:10)

Do you have a different mindset now that's the elimination finals?

Tamika Upton (1:13)

Definitely. I think it starts with your prep through the whole week. You know now, like it's do or die, and I think everyone's laser focused and you get all the 1% is done. Not that you don't do them through the year, but you just know how crucial they are.

David Lutteral (1:27)

And going against the old enemy for you, well, your old club won a few premierships with the Knights. Does that mean a bit more always?

Tamika Upton (1:33)

Oh, sometimes it does, but I think now Jessie Southwell takes the cake. So we obviously stole her from Newey and I think a lot of the attention's on her.

David Lutteral (1:41)

Right.

Tamika Upton (1:41)

Yeah.

Kip Wightman (1:42)

So they used to hate you, but now they hate her more than they hate her now.

Tamika Upton (1:45)

That is exactly what I was saying, 100% really.

Susie O'Neill (1:48)

Thank God someone else came along here.

Kip Wightman (1:50)

You don't want to be that, that's not you.

Tamika Upton (1:51)

Exactly.

Kip Wightman (1:52)

You don't want the hated person.

Susie O'Neill (1:53)

Now, I want to ask you a technical question, because I see that they trialed a new ball, the NRLW, last week, Sharks versus Dragons. I don't know why they brought it in the middle of the season. But what do you think about that they got a smaller size ball they're talking about for women players to use instead of the normal size ball. Is that correct? Are you for or against that?

Tamika Upton (2:10)

I'm massively against it.

I just think it's a quick fix to probably a problem where we just need a longer preseason and more time to do skills and to do craft. If you look at our schedule, we're pretty back to back to back to back and you don't actually have time to sit and do craft. But I also think as well for the poor Dragons and Sharks, they were playing for the wooden spoon. So to get that ball thrown on them, that is why they trialed it. But I also think the Dragons won the spoon now and I would be a little bit filthy if you had a bit of an experiment because you don't want to win the wooden spoon.

David Lutteral (2:43)

Because it's a smaller lighter ball. It would change kicking, it would change passing.

Tamika Upton (2:47)

I think two of their kicks went out in the full straight up. Oh really? It would change probably the catching. I think they want it for the tries. Like they want these little spectacular tries and like flip passes and offloads. But I just think, yeah, that'll all come with more skill.

Kip Wightman (3:02)

Of course it will.

David Lutteral (3:03)

Yeah, and because your season starts, I mean, the Origin is the first time it starts your season, which is also pretty crazy. Like the hardest games you play are at the start of the season. Like you said, there's no time to sort of build into it.

Tamika Upton (3:12)

No, you have no time for that. And that's the thing, you can get as fit and as fast as you want, but you're still, honestly, every single year at Origin, I'm cramping with about 30 minutes left on the clock.

Kip Wightman (3:21)

So it's a struggle. I like Scotty Prince. He spoke as you did at the Broncos Awards, Men's Awards night the other night at the Star Casino. He was saying how, you know, it hasn't been the perfect season. Is he the coach? Yeah, he's coach, sorry, coach Scott Prince, the beautiful Scott Prince.