20 Aug 2019
Under 14’s Girls 9’s Rugby League
On August 20, Merriwa Central School’s Under 14 Girls Rugby League Team travelled to Windale to compete in the annual Caitlin Moran Shield. While all of the girls are top league tag players, for many, this was their tackle football debut, and they were nervous, yet excited, to show their stuff out there on the field.
From the outset, the team suffered a few setbacks. The competition was originally meant to take place two weeks prior, and we were all disappointed when we received the news that it had been washed out a few kilometres out of Denman. On the day, our star halfback Josie Porter was out due to a knee injury, and rookie Shaydene Saunders could not compete as she was sick, so we were left with a team of only seven girls in a nine-a-side comp. Thankfully, the day’s designated water girl, versed league tag player Samantha Bristow, strapped on her boots and decided to take the field at the last minute to give us a fighting chance.
The first game of the day was against Irrawang High School and despite being one player short, the girls from Merriwa Central School really held their own. Highlights of the game were Brooklyn Blackadder, the pocket rocket fullback, running the whole field to score two tries, tries from Ildi Papp and Natasha Marsh, and some big hits from Isabella Blades-Garden on the wing. The Merriwa girls managed to pull off an impressive 16-4 win – a great feat for a small central school.
Unfortunately, Isabella injured her wrist in a tackle and was unable to compete for the rest of the day, leaving us yet another player short for the coming games.
In the next two games, Merriwa Central School continued to play with dignity, skill and an incredible sense of team spirit. After suffering a defeat against the St Catherine’s Singleton side, Merriwa pulled it together for the last game to win 12-8 against Tomaree High. This placed the girls second overall in their bracket.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the girls for their fantastic effort on the day. They were an absolute testament to the values of Merriwa Central School, with members of the public and the competition organisers even commenting on their sense of sportsmanship and playing skill. I would also like to thank the P&C for generously funding our new uniforms. The girls looked fantastic out on the field and left a great impression of our school out in the wider community. Additionally, thank you to Mr Chad Grant and Mr Patrick Lomax for assisting with the excursion planning and showing me the ropes of the rugby coordinator position. Even from up north, Mr Grant continues to assist and guide me and I hope we have made him proud with our efforts. Finally, I would like to thank the organisers of the event for being so welcoming to us and for ensuring the day ran smoothly. It is great to see the promotion of women’s sport in the community, and it is even better to see that students from Merriwa Central School have the opportunity to participate in these kinds of events.