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Rugby sevens sisters Teagan and Maddison Levi have turned down a lucrative temporary NRLW switch and extended their deals with Rugby Australia until the 2028 Olympics.
RA were open to Teagan, 22, and Maddison, 23, playing for the Gold Coast Titans and then returning to the sevens program, which would have allowed the sisters to potentially double their salaries for four months, according to sources with knowledge of the matter who cannot comment publicly.
Maddison Levi in action for the Australian women’s sevens team.Credit: Getty Images
Speaking ahead of travelling to play in the Singapore tournament of the sevens world series, Maddison revealed that representing Australia ultimately came ahead of any financial rewards when turning down the offer from the Gold Coast Titans.
“There are so many codes within Australia competing against each other, which is really exciting, but the luxury of being a full-time program, getting paid full-time ... We travel the world and [are] representing your country month in, month out, it’s something that you can’t really put a price on,” Maddison said.
“I guess money is nice, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. We both play for the love of the game, and I guess ultimately that’s kind of why we turned it [the Titans offer] down.”
RA knocked back a similar move last October to ensure the sisters were available for selection for the Wallaroos’ 2025 World Cup squad. Ultimately, the sisters made themselves unavailable for the tournament, but remain two of the biggest names in sevens rugby.
Teagan Levi scores a try for Australia.Credit: Getty Images
Maddison previously revealed that she would be open to playing in the NRLW, but has instead opted to focus on preparing for a third Olympics. The 2028 Los Angeles Games will be Teagan’s second Olympics, after playing in 2024 in Paris with her sister. The sisters are also keen to compete in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
The Levi sisters would have had under a month to prepare for life in the NRLW, having never played rugby league before.
The international sevens season ends on June 7, with the Titans’ season opener against the Roosters on July 4, something that Teagan said the short turnaround had also factored into their decision to turn down a temporary move to the NRLW.
“You can’t beat a full-time program, and the timings just didn’t align,” Teagan said.
“And as a halfback, I would like to have a whole preseason under my belt first, so that was one of the main things for me.”
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The Levi sisters previously excelled in Australian rules football. After both players were drafted into the AFLW by the Gold Coast Suns, Maddison played eight games in the 2021 competition, including becoming the club’s leading goal kicker. Two years later, Maddison was named World Rugby’s women’s sevens player of the year.
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