Visual, Vestibular, and Somatosensory Function in Female Rugby League Athletes

Female rugby league performance is influenced by multiple interacting sensory and physiological systems; however, the extent to which these factors vary across playing levels and positional groups remains unclear. This study explored differences in visual, vestibular, somatosensory, and autonomic performance according to playing level and position in female rugby league athletes. Elite and sub-elite athletes completed lower-limb proprioception testing using the Active Movement Extent Discrimination Assessment protocol alongside visual-vestibular and autonomic assessments obtained via a virtual reality eye-tracking system. Bayesian hierarchical models examined the effects of playing level, positional group (adjustables, backs, forwards), and their interaction. Few consistent differences were observed between elite and sub-elite athletes across the measures assessed. Posterior estimates suggest selected level-by-position effects for ankle proprioceptive acuity (PD = 0.94), vestibulo-oculomotor time on target (PD = 0.95), and autonomic dilation velocity (PD = 0.98); however, these findings were not consistent across positional groups or outcome measures, and within-group variability was evident. Overall, sensory and autonomic performance did not consistently differentiate elite and sub-elite athletes, suggesting limited utility as cross-sectional markers of playing level but potential value as longitudinal monitoring tools alongside workload, recovery, and performance data.