Premiership-winning Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has mounted a passionate defence of the NRL women’s competition, saying the cost to keep females in the game is worth every cent.

It’s emerged this week the Roosters, Brisbane, St George Illawarra and Warriors fork out between $300,000 and $400,000 each to participate in the annual four-team competition run in September.

There have been calls for the NRL to help ease the financial strain amid fears clubs may pull out in what would be an embarrassing look for the code as the profile of women’s team sports in Australia soars.

Robinson on Thursday claimed he didn’t know enough about the financial details to weigh in to such politics, but said the game must find a solution to keep women involved in rugby league.

“So we’re going to make decisions based on finances, whether women deserve to play rugby league or not? They deserve to be in this sport as much as we do,” he said.

“We often get women that play up until under-12s and then they’re lost to the game until the 18s come back. We need to improve that.

“I get to see young girls running around in the junior leagues around the eastern suburbs and they’ve been incredible for our club.”

Robinson hailed women as “the future” of rugby league.

“I know it’s a financial cost to us and we’re happy to pay it because we loved having an inaugural women’s team in 2018, being a Rooster and wearing that badge, and we’re really proud of them,” he said.

“Where the finances (come from), that’s a different story. But it needs to have growth and we need to support that growth.

“The women in our game, the women supporting our game, the women watching our game, that’s our future and we need to keep investing in it.

“If it does cost more money, then we need to work out a way for that to happen because it’s our future.”