Triple M radio station gave Emma Lawrence the honour of being the first female play-by-play commentator in the code's history.
Lawrence became a staple part of Nine's NRL coverage in the past five years and has now been rewarded for her quality work on the sidelines and radio duties to lead the play-by-play for Triple M.
She made her debut in the Sharks vs. Dolphins fixture, where praise flooded through social media for her great coverage of the Dolphins' strong win over the Sharks.
The NRL have taken great consideration and promotion into the integration of female spokespeople and athletes in the sport.
With the male gender dominating statistics when it comes to viewership and participation, it is extremely important to continue to have vocal female voices as rugby league grows.
The growth is also shown in the NRLW competition, with record-breaking numbers in 2025, with a 45 per cent increase in TV viewership and a 115 per cent increase in crowd attendances.
Though all it takes is tuning into an NRLW fixture to see that it is one of the most developed and competitive female contact sport competitions in the world.
Since joining Triple M in 2017, Lawrence has been an integral part of the Rush Hour call and told the Daily Telegraph that she'd “find old games on Fox, press mute and call the game" in preparation for the step-up to host.
Sports broadcaster Kate Allman was glowing with praise of Lawrence, saying it is a massive milestone and opens up more opportunities in the future.
"Commentary booths have for a long time been male-dominated spaces and particularly in the role of play-by-play,” Allman told The Guardian.
“Someone has to be first to shatter that glass ceiling. It's never easy to get to that first spot or to stay there, but it will hopefully open the door for more women in future.”
AFL broadcaster Kelli Underwood tuned in to Lawrence's debut, as revealed by the Daily Telegraph, who made history as the sport's first female solo commentator in 2009.
“I tuned in and loved it,” Underwood said.
“Congratulations Emma, enjoy the relief and come down.”
