On Saturday (November 10) the Eacham Junior Rugby League hosted their inaugural Development Clinic for Girls with the purpose to gauge girls’ interest in playing club rugby league in 2019.
Female participation in rugby league is growing and with increasing interest across all age groups growing each year, it was timely to host an event showcasing the game and opportunities available in the Tablelands district.
NRLW players and Queensland representatives Heather Ballinger (Brisbane Broncos) and Kate Haren (St George Illawarra Dragons), along with WNRL contracted player Tallulah Tillett, were in attendance to inspire the girls.
The players were also happy to give insight into the opportunities and pathways that are now available to girls who follow rugby league as their sport of choice.
There was an overwhelming response, with 50 girls aged between 10-18 years from the Eacham district (which covers Ravenshoe, Herberton, Malanda and Atherton), as well as girls travelling up from Innisfail, Tully and Mareeba attending the Development Day.
A huge thank you to the NRL North Queensland Development team, Renae Kunst (Regional Game Development Manager), Alby Anderson (Game Development Officer), David Gampe (EJRL Coaching Director) Leanne Thomas (EJRL Secretary) along with Nicole Turner and Rebecca Mason (EJRL Girls’ Coordinators) for making the day possible.
Following the positive response from girls keen to be involved, further Development Days are being planned.
In 2019, Eacham JRL are looking at having:
- Girls Rugby League played on Saturdays
- a team playing in the Under 13 Nate Myles Cup (being played in Gordonvale in April)
- selecting Eacham Under 14 and Under 16 teams for the FNQ Country Championships. (This is where Under 14 and Under 16 female teams will be selected to play at the NQ Championships, leading to selection in the NQ Marlins sides to play at the State Championships.)
Any girls interested in playing rugby league in 2019 can contact their local junior league for further information.
Eacham District JRL: Leanne Thomas M: 0428 954 579 || E: eachamjrl@gmail.com
Innisfail District JRL: Lisa Sue-San M: 0419 772 756 || E: lisasuey@icloud.com
Cairns District JRL: Jodi Stevens M: 0459 235 756 || E: cdjrl@bigpond.com
Cooktown District JRL: Kim Giese M: 0409 746 628 || E: cooktownjrl@gmail.com
