NRL about to say goodbye

Brad Donald's future as Jillaroos coach is threatened while the NRL prepares to finish an investigation into a derogatory comment supposedly done in front of the players.

Donald, coach of the Australian women's team since 2016, has endured a few turbulent months after appearing in the headlines last October when, in a controversial way, he eliminated the Dally M medalist M, Olivia Kernick, of his team for the Pacific Championship .

But the AAP understands that a separate incident has been the subject of an internal investigation of the NRL that involves the Human Resources Department of the League from that tournament.

The matter has reached the desk of the president of the Australian Rugby League, Peter V'landys, and will be completed next week, when a final decision on Donald's future will be taken.

It occurs while Jillaroos players prepare for a unique test in Las Vegas in March, after being added to the billboard of the main season opening event of the NRL in the United States.

The sources told the AAP that the problem is related to Donald supposedly using an insult to refer to a journalist in front of the players, while expressing frustrations about the coverage at the end of last year.

The Australian coach of the Jillaroos, Brad Jones, faces an uncertain future for accusations that he made inappropriate comments about a journalist against the national team.

Jones' behavior research occurs after the strange decision to eliminate the Dally M medalist, Olivia Kernick (in the photo), of the Pacific Championship team.

The president of the Australian Rugby League, Peter V'landys, has been involved in the investigation, since the League is expected to make a decision on Donald's future.

At least one player shared details of the interaction more widely, before the NRL found out and began its own investigation.

The saga has been complicated by the fact that Donald has two separate contracts in the NRL, as national coach and general manager of female players.

As such, the matter has been managed by human resources and not by the NRL integrity unit.

Any possible sanction will only directly affect Donald's role as coach of Jillaroos.

The incident, which occurred after Donald's Desaira to Kernick of the Australian Pacific Championship team caught the attention at the headquarters of the League and among the experts, the pressure on the coach has increased.

Both Donald and the NRL refused to comment when the AAP contacted them.

Donald had to direct a Jillaroos camp in Gold Coast last weekend before the historic match of the team against England in Las Vegas on March 1.

But that camp was canceled at the last minute without any clear explanation.

Donald has been a NRL employee for a long time and began working as Game Development Manager in Queensland in 2002.

The moment of the investigation is not the best for the Jillaroos, who are a few weeks after playing a historical game in Las Vegas.

Since then, it has become one of the most prominent and influential drivers in the female space, while training the Jillaroos during their most dominant was.

His stage in charge of the national team also arrived at a time when women's football has grown rapidly in Australia and has become professional at the highest level.

Donald was in command of the victories of Australia in the World Cup in 2017 and 2022, and at one point he took the Jillaroos to an undefeated streak of seven years and 15 games before his only defeat against New Zealand in 2023.

The veteran coach had thought about bringing the Jillaroos to another title in 2026, and was praised for his work on the way during the inaugural adventure of Las Vegas last year.

But her decision to fire Kernick was widely criticized, days after she was named the best NRLW player.

Then, Donald said that part of his decision was due to Kernick left the bank in State of Origin, when he had actually been the holder for NSW.

Australia was undefeated by the Pacific Championship, whipping Papua New Guinea 84-0 before registering victories 14-0 and 24-4 over New Zealand.

It was during the last week of that camp when it was understood that Donald had made the alleged comment caused by the ongoing investigation.