Girls ready to lace up the boots at mini comp

Both the standard and participation rates of women’s rugby in Australia has risen in recent years, and now Narrabri is laying the foundation to play its part in helping to continue that trend.

Determined to provide girls in not just the town but also both the Narrabri Shire and the wider region, the Narrabri Junior Rugby Club, Narrabri Rugby Club, Narrabri High School and NSW Rugby have joined forces to organise a mini rugby sevens competition for girls to try the sport.

Two sessions will be held at Narrabri’s premier rugby field Dangar Park, the home of the Narrabri Blue Boars.

Named the Narrabri Pearl Rugby Sevens mini comp, the sessions will include skill-based drills prior to players breaking off into teams to play games.

Narrabri High School teacher and rugby coach Daisy Robinson has been one of the driving forces behind organising the Narrabri Pearl Rugby Sevens mini comp.

Robinson, who has been one of the Narrabri Rugby Club’s women’s sevens team’s standouts during the past two seasons, told The Courier that her love for the game and experiences in it motivated her to help provide the opportunity for the next generation of female rugby players.

“We are having a come and try couple of Friday nights so that girls will be able to come and try the game and see if they like it, learn some skills and have some fun,” Robinson said.

“They will also play a bit of a competition. We are hoping that teams from Gunnedah, Moree and Coonabarabran come as well.

“We are looking at having a Friday night comp during term one next year for girls and boys.

“These sessions are for girls to come who aren’t sure whether or not they want to commit to a whole actual
season of playing.

“Rugby is a great sport and the opportunities for me to play have only come up over the last couple of years,” Robinson added.

“I really think that it’s important that we give girls the opportunity at a younger age so they develop skills early and are not doing it when they are 25 like me.

“There’s a lot of opportunities and pathways for girls in rugby now so hopefully some of our girls can go on to some bigger and better things in rugby.”

Narrabri Junior Rugby Club president Mick Coffey said that Narrabri was expecting to field two teams in the under-13 age group, two more in the under-15s and one in the under-17s during the highly-anticipated mini comp.

Coffey told The Courier that these sessions would provide a safe environment for young girls to play rugby in.

“It takes the pressure off the girls,” Coffey said.
“That first initial competition can be strictly controlled as far as high impact and risk of injury.

“We are hoping to alleviate that as much as possible to allow the girls to feel safe and really want to come and learn, that’s how we can teach them well.

“Players from the senior club’s women’s team will be coaching, including Daisy, Zoe Tomlinson and April Smith plus more. Garry Walsh (NSW Rugby development manager for the Central North/New England) and his NSW Rugby development officers will be there to run it and referee.”

Coffey, who was also the vice-president of the Narrabri Rugby Club in 2018 and was elected as the club’s new president at last night’s annual general meeting, said that the Blue Boars’ women’s team would benefit from increased junior development.

“We’ve had girls like April Smith, Zoe Tomlinson and Chelsea Hancock play senior women’s rugby while still at school,” Coffey said.

“These sessions are a big investment in the future for our senior club.

“It’s no different to the boys, the more kids we’ve got playing rugby at a young age, feeling supported and knowing that there’s a pathway into the senior club the better it is for us.”

Coffey said that the Narrabri Pearl Rugby Sevens mini comp sessions were free of charge.

“There’s a huge interest in girls’ rugby so we are trying to facilitate that,” he said.

“We are letting the kids come and try the sport without the pressure of families having to register, spending money and using their active kids voucher.

“Narrabri Junior Rugby will cover the cost of the insurances and everything.

“It allows them to come and try and then if they like it they can invest rather than outlay money for something they then don’t want to do.”

Coffey said that more than 100 girls were expected to participate in the sessions at Dangar Park which will be held on November 29 and December 6.