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George Clarke

Ali Brigginshaw makes peace with NRL boss

Ali Brigginshaw hopes she will still be playing by the time the NRLW becomes fully professional. (AAP)

Brisbane captain Ali Brigginshaw says she has made peace with NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo but has vowed to not stop fighting for better conditions and full professionalism in the NRLW.

Brigginshaw spoke out against the game's administrators when the 2021 season was postponed last year due to COVID-19.

NRLW players will now play two seasons in 2022, with the delayed 2021 season to kick off on Sunday before the 2022 season proper begins later in the year.

The Broncos playmaker claimed in September that the game's female players were put on the "backburner" and "not told the truth" by NRL head office, but said she and Abdo had since buried the hatchet

"You probably say things you shouldn't when you're passionate about something," she told AAP.

"You can't blame us for feeling like that. The relationship is fixed and we've got to hope there are no hiccups like that again.

"I reached out to him because I thought that was the good thing to do to try and mend that relationship."

Brigginshaw said more needed to be done, and she will play a crucial role in negotiating the NRLW's first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) later this year.

The Broncos skipper is a member of the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) women's advisory group and said a CBA was integral to improved conditions for female players.

"We need a CBA and hopefully we can get one soon," she said.

"We want things set in stone. We don't have multi-year contracts so we can't get jobs because we don't know where we will be playing. That puts a lot of pressure on us, especially the girls with families.

"I think once that's been sorted the game will evolve and be a better product."

Abdo was unable to give any indication on when the NRLW might become a full-time competition on Tuesday at the season launch.

But Brigginshaw, 32, hopes she will still be playing by the time the NRLW becomes fully professional.

"You want to get to full-time professionalism," she said.

"These mini-comps (the NRLW is five rounds this year) aren't always the best.

"The girls are ready for the next step and are waiting for the green light.

"How can we get more games? Not necessarily more teams, but more games.

"The boys have that consistency and can relax but for us it's so up and down.

"I'd like to see it in two or three years time."

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