The red tape that blocked Studdon from signing with Warriors

Former Blues star Maddie Studdon has been left high and dry for the rest of the 2025 NRL season after rugby league red tape denied her a chance to sign with the New Zealand Warriors as an emergency pick-up.

The Warriors moved to sign Studdon, 30, mid-season after a series of injuries rocked their playing roster in the last few weeks. She was keen to go – but the NRL turned down the signing request.

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Their reasoning, as reported by Pamela Whaley for Code, was that she’d already played a game for the Dragons (in round six, also to cover injuries) and so she cannot play for another club throughout this current campaign. The NRLW has no June 30 deadline equivalent, with top 24 rosters for women’s teams locked when week one begins.

It’s a huge issue for Studdon, who now can only prove she’s worth a deal in 2026 if the Dragons call on her again, and for the Warriors, who lost Emily Curtain to an ACL injury and are facing a season’s end without a key playmaker.

Even worse, Studdon and the Warriors were both happy to do a cheap deal; a win-win for both sides.

No fault from the Dragons either, with Studdon’s call-up in week six saving their bacon just as much as anything.

With Nathan Cross able to field Raecene McGregor and Kasey Reh again though, there’s just no room for her at the Red V; exactly why she had been looking for other top level playing opportunities through the season.

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For Roosters coach John Strange, it presents a clear stranglehold on the growth of the playing pool, with 24 on the roster “not enough” when there are 18 running out to play matchday. With a half-dozen injuries through a season – a fair possibility considering they play more than 10 games and are semi-pro – clubs suddenly face shortchanged squads.

“It’s no one’s fault, it’s not like any one club is doing anything better around managing injuries; they just happen,” he said.

“But 24 is not enough… we’ve got development players, [which] you can use them for injuries, but I’ve got four development players who are there because I don’t feel like they’re ready for NRLW. So to be told you can use your development players doesn’t make sense.

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“I would never put a player in at this level if they weren’t ready,” Sydney’s coach continued.

“Add another four players in, and if they can do that, then I can still keep 17-year-olds as development players.

“Otherwise, I would have to put NRLW players in a development deal, and that would take away the opportunity for younger girls coming through the pathways.”