First, we had Simone Smith.
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Now, girls around Port Macquarie can look up to Smith as well as players such as Blues stars Isabelle Kelly and Maddie Studdon.
While the trio are not household names just yet, it would be a brave person to suggest they won’t be in another five years.
Smith missed the Blues women’s State of Origin success last Friday night due to injury as Kelly claimed player of the match honours while Studdon captained the side in the 16-10 win.
It’s an exciting time to be a young woman where a genuine pathway to the top – which had previously only been available to men – could soon be available to women too.
More than 20 teams from schools around Gloucester, Kempsey, Taree and Port Macquarie competed in the inaugural women’s nines rugby league gala day on Tuesday.
Following the success of the women’s State of Origin last week, Northern New South Wales National Rugby League game development officer Pat Preston said they couldn’t have timed the day better.
“It was a really great game of women’s origin the other night,” he said.
“A lot of the girls were able to watch that and then come out and emulate some of their heroes that they saw the other night.”
Preston admitted previously women’s rugby league hadn’t “taken off” because of the wrong attitude.
Over the last 18 months, that attitude has changed significantly.
“There are now legitimate pathways for the girls with the women’s NRL competition and the State of Origin,” he said.
“It was at the Commonwealth Games as well so it’s legitimate for the girls to play tackle footy.
A lot of the girls were able to watch that and then come out and emulate some of their heroes that they saw the other night.
- Country Rugby League North Coast development officer Pat Preston
“Before, they could only play until 12 in junior league and then it’d be girls only or they’d stop playing.
“Now they can play all the way through and potentially get paid for playing in a professional competition down the track such as the official comp for the NRL later in the year.”
Preston said the style of rugby league on show was of a high quality and slightly different to when the boys were playing.
“The girls are not playing the traditional style of footy,” he said.
“They’re looking at what’s in front of them and if a pass is on, it’s on so there has been some long-range tries scored and some great skill on show.
“They really push up and support each other; they’re not going one-out and they play eyes-up footy which is what you want.
“We’ve just seen over the last couple of years a real interest in girls footy.”