Maggie Moloney

Maggie Moloney was an Australian rugby league player, who was the star of the first official women's rugby league match, held in 1921. A street mural in Redfern, Australia, was painted in 2022 in tribute to her achievements and contribution to sport.

Early life and career

Moloney was, at the age of 15, the first female 'rugby league star', and described as the 'female Dally Messenger'. Moloney's appearance in rugby league was reported upon, as one of the 'largest news stories of 1921'. Her match was reported in many media outlets of the time, including The Sun, The Sunday Times and The Daily Telegraph.

Moloney played in the Sydney Showground, in a crowd which was reported to consist of 20–30,000 people, and scored four tries for the Metropolitan Blues, against the rugby team 'the Sydney Reds'. The score was 21–11, and the match was the world's first public match of women's rugby league.

Moloney's career was short, due to the 'level of administrative skulduggery' which the women's competition faced. Women who wanted to play sports in a similar manner to men, faced certain difficulties. For example, the men's teams were scheduled to play as 'curtain raisers' for the women's match. However, this curtain raiser was prevented by the NSW Rugby League officials. The ban was despite the fact that NSWRL voted to support women's competition.

Moloney has been described as a pioneer of women's sport in Australia, and a reminder of how women's sport was less supported in 1921 than at present.

Maggie M medal discussion In 2022, there was discussion around whether to name the best female player (NWRL) after Moloney, being called the 'Maggie M medal' rather than the Dally M medal. The NRL commented that:"Maggie Moloney was a pioneer of women's rugby league and her story will always have an indelible place in the history of the game in Australia."

Redfern wall mural

In 2022, a wall on the back of Redfern's St Vincent de Paul Community Support Center is nearby to the land where Moloney practiced, with her brother Bryan, who played for the Rabbitohs. The wall was painted by street artist Sharon Billinge and Rugby League Historian Katherine Haines.