XXXX Chair's Challenge staff, players to receive breast health insights

Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons head sports trainer Robyn Tyler is set to deliver breakthrough breast health information for players and staff involved in the XXXX Chair's Challenge A grade carnival.

Tyler, who has spent the past decade in her role with the Maroons, is in the midst of a PhD researching breast injury, pain, protection and support in female rugby league players and staff.

Until January 2022 when her research began, there had been no research conducted in relation to female breast health in rugby league.

Tyler hoped it would create a better understanding among everyone involved in female rugby league to ensure players can enjoy the game to their fullest potential.

She said she was excited to be delivering the learnings to players and staff from Brisbane, Gold Coast and Ipswich as part of the inaugural XXXX Chair's Challenge women's competition from July 5-7. 

Players will also be surveyed as part of the research, with Tyler stressing there was no cause for stress or concern for female participants.

"What we're doing for the XXXX Chair's Challenge is providing an education session for the players around breast injuries, the importance of reporting them and the importance of breast support in terms of pain mitigation and performance," Tyler said.

"It might sound so simple, but we know the majority of our athletes don't wear a correctly fitted or correctly supported sports bra, and it definitely has implications on performance and confidence."

Tyler said the research done alongside past Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons doctor Dr Bonnie McRae revealed significant "gaps in the knowledge" among players and staff in the wider rugby league community about breast health.

"Our staff are the most trusted allies for our players, so we need to educate our staff, and we have created two short modules we'll be delivering online the week of the XXXX Chair's Challenge and that will be around how to manage a breast injury, which is for our sports trainers and coaches as well so that if they're the first point of contact, they know how to direct their player, and the second part is for staff to be equipped to run their own breast education sessions for their players," she said.

"Our players are telling us that 98-99 per cent of them aren't reporting these injuries, so there is a massive education piece for the players to tell someone about their injury no matter how minor it may seem, because there are things we can do with it and ways we can manage that injury without doing anything invasive.

"We don't need to look, or touch, there's just verbal guidance that we can give our players."

Tyler, the Gold Coast Titans NRLW head trainer throughout their four-year history, said many players simply put breast health to the back of their mind to participate in rugby league.

"What we're hearing from our ladies is they just want to play rugby league and do it just like the men do, but don't realise there is a difference in our breast tissue, and there are some things we need to look for," she said.

"In the past couple of years, as we've been talking to players about this and starting the conversation, I think it's one of the most important things to do.

"You'll find the girls open up quite quickly around this topic and it no longer becomes taboo, and there is a lot of conversation that happens around it and it is quite a positive sign that education will take great steps behind making our game more comfortable for our ladies to play."

Aside from the education, Tyler was looking forward to the tremendous opportunity to be among the support staff for the Ipswich Diggers' women's team.

"It was something I was quite keen to put my hand up for. I volunteered to be part of this because I very much love rugby league in Ipswich and love the opportunity to be able to give back to my local community," she said.

Anyone interested in future online 'Breast Injury Mangement for Sports Trainers' education sessions - being delivered in partnership with University of Wollongong and Breast Research Australia - should register their interest here.

Watch every match from the XXXX Chair's Challenge by subscribing to Qplus.tv. A Round Pass, granting seven days' access, costs $4.99.