Marlee Silva's Skin in the Game documentary tackles big issues in rugby league

Marlee Silva is a rising star in the world of sports commentary and media. Not only does she have multiple podcasts and books to her name, but she is also a regular member of the Nine Network's NRL commentary team in Australia. Now, her exceptional media talent and passion for rugby league have converged in her documentary debut, "Skin in the Game."

In this documentary, Silva, a woman of Dunghutti and Gamilaroi descent, explores issues plaguing rugby league and Australia as a whole. "Skin in the Game" is an ambitious undertaking. Over the course of an hour, Silva engages with experts to discuss the domestic violence crisis against women in Australia, allegations involving NRL players, the league's handling of such cases and its role in the national conversation, the pay gap between men's and women's sports, and the male-dominated sports media vortex, which perpetuates Australian attitudes toward women through biased reporting of female athletes and officials.

"Skin in the Game" serves as a mirror reflecting the nation, with Silva's own family story at its core. As the eldest daughter of former NRL star "Rocket" Rod Silva, rugby league is in Silva's blood. The role rugby league played in changing her father's life trajectory became the catalyst for this documentary.

"I always wanted to put Dad's story, or a part of Dad's story, on screen," she told ABC Entertainment. "I never thought it would be possible, but deep down I knew what Dad achieved and what he went through was pretty amazing, and I wanted other people to celebrate that, and I think we were able to do that in the scenes in front of his childhood home."

During filming, Silva returned to the home where Rod and his mother had experienced domestic violence. Silva said that confronting her grandmother's experiences and being in that place was an emotional moment. "She was always the matriarch of the family, like many Indigenous women are, she was everything to our family," Silva said. "So many elements of her life and her story directly impacted me, just as my parents raised my sister and I through her stories and her teachings... she's definitely been the biggest influence on us."

While her father's story was destined to feature in the documentary, as filming began and the national conversation turned to the epidemic of male violence against women, she realized "Skin in the Game" had a responsibility to play a role. According to data from the "Counting Dead Women Australia" research project by advocacy group Destroy the Joint, 79 women have died in 2024 due to gender-based violence. The previous year, [34 women were killed by a current or former intimate partner](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/29/30-spike-in-rate-of-australian-women-killed-by-intimate-partner-last-year-data-shows). In April 2024, the Australian Prime Minister declared violence against women a national crisis.

Silva believes that sports are a way for Australia to "change the narrative," and through this documentary, she says she wanted to explore how rugby league can drive "much-needed change." Silva said that a big challenge during her upbringing was the perception of what women could and couldn't do. She has witnessed firsthand how including women in one of the nation's most popular sports can influence and change men's perspectives.

In one poignant scene, Silva talks with her parents about her father's past views on women's involvement in rugby league – from playing to commentary. "Do you remember what you said?" Silva asks her father. "Just that rugby league wasn't for women," he replies, before adding, "It's terrible looking back on it now." As a sports journalist now, she says pursuing this career was almost a challenge to her father's belief that women shouldn't be rugby league reporters. "I was kind of trying to make him angrier, and now he loves it," Silva says with a laugh. "I think it's a really good case study."

Silva's experience reflects research showing that [when we see women supported and respected in sports](https://www.ourwatch.org.au/sport), attitudes towards women improve. But despite her father's changed views, Silva acknowledges that there is still a long way to go in rugby league and Australia in accepting women as serious professionals in the sports world.

"Skin in the Game" highlights the struggles that women's players face to maintain semi-professional careers, a stark contrast to the men's game. We see Brisbane Broncos forward Lavinia Gould show Silva her morning routine, waking up before dawn to work as a forklift driver to supplement her NRLW salary so she can support her children while pursuing her dreams.

Despite the long road ahead, Silva remains hopeful for the future. "I think there's a really good culture being built in that space with a lot of leaders, like Nicho [Hynes] who we interviewed in the doco is a great example, I sit down with so many young guys on my podcast who are just so good," Silva said. "The barriers we're fighting against, like in all facets of Australian society, is that older generation of white men who have held the power for so long."

Marlee Silva discusses her new documentary, "Skin in the Game." Watch "Skin in the Game" on [SBS On Demand](https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/skin-in-the-game/2412109891542?cid=od:cm:edi:aw:sitg::pub).