NRL, AFL and Rugby Union stars have joined forces in a new television experiment aimed at tackling one of Australia’s longest-running sporting arguments — which football code truly reigns supreme.
Rather than placing the spotlight on a single game, Rivals, a new series exclusive to Kayo Sports, brings together elite athletes from rugby league, Australian rules and rugby union to test the strengths, skills and demands of each code on equal ground.
The competition features NRL players Josh Addo-Carr and Reece Walsh, NRLW stars Ali Brigginshaw and Jamie Chapman, alongside leading representatives from AFL and rugby union, all going head-to-head across a range of physical and mental challenges.
The eight-episode series is co-hosted by Fox League presenter Lara Pitt and Fox Footy identity and former Richmond Tigers premiership player Jack Riewoldt, with filming taking place on Hamilton Island.
With experience covering rugby league, AFL and rugby union, Pitt said the long-running rivalry between the codes was central to the show’s appeal.
“There really is no bigger competition between these three codes,” Pitt said.
“Every fan, every media outlet will have a different opinion on which code is going to be the best, but Rivals the show itself finally provides the ammo to settle the score.
“To deliver world first sports shows you need to bring in the experts and the Australian Institute of Sport were tapped as the show’s high-performance partner.
“Basically we ascertain which traits make up the pinnacle of elite performance across every sport.
“The AIS then compiled a series of science-backed performance tests to create our Rivals performance index.
“But we needed to test these traits under pressure that would simulate real match conditions, so that’s how the rivals tests were ultimately created and are a culmination of key attributes of elite performance with teamwork and the mental resilience required from all of our favourite footy codes.”
Riewoldt said the series captured the tribal nature of Australian sport, with athletes representing not only themselves, but entire supporter bases.
“They were representing their codes and the most important fact is they are representing the fan bases of their beloved codes and sports,” he said.
He said the format allowed for direct comparisons between the unique demands of each game.
“So is it repeat endurance and aerial skill of Aussie rules that will shine? The endless cardio and accuracy at pace.
“Or the raw power, speed and collision mastery of rugby league?
“And where does rugby union sit when it comes to versatility, skill range and the physical demands?
“What does the brute power of a scrum and co-ordinated grace of a lineout teach us about the skills and performance required to be a Wallaby or a Wallaroo?”
According to Riewoldt, the absence of home-ground advantages and specialist conditions was a key feature of the competition.
“What you’re going to see across eight incredible episodes, Rivals will pit our top athletes of our footy codes against each other in a wide range of performance tests as done by the AIS,” he said.
“Covering everything from speed, power, strength, endurance, co-ordination and most importantly the mental resilience. And it was hot on Hamilton Island.
“Importantly there is no home ground advantage here, so we can eliminate that from the debate. There’s no specialist loopholes as well. Just a perfect level playing field.
“Rivals is much more than a competition. It’s a springboard for the debate. Households group chats, WhatsApps and strangers at the pub can unite and determine which code will take home the top bragging rights.”
The athletes themselves acknowledged the differences between the sports, with Josh Addo-Carr admitting endurance-heavy challenges highlighted the strengths of AFL players.
“But obviously my strengths are speed,” Addo-Carr said, adding he gave the tests “a red hot crack” despite acknowledging others excelled in longer-distance efforts.
Jamie Chapman said strength was a common thread across all codes, even when facing unfamiliar opponents.
“No, strength is a massive component of all of our sports,” Chapman said.
“I was a bit nervous for that, but I was really proud of my team.”
For Ali Brigginshaw, who will retire at the end of the year, the experience stood out among her career highlights.
“I just loved the challenge,” Brigginshaw said.
“We’re all competitive and just to see us come together as a team, we would never get to play alongside the boys here.
“So to come together from NRLW and NRL to form the team, I just can’t believe how much I enjoyed it and how much it challenged me still at this age. And I think it was a standout moment of everyone’s careers. I can definitely say it was for mine.”
