It was a chance encounter but Cassidy Morley grabbed it with both hands as the Narrabri Blue Boar lined up for the NSW Country Corellas at the 2024 Australian Rugby Shield last week.
She would not have been there had it not been for an SOS call made by the Central North side for this year’s NSW Country Championships, during which she impressed and was picked in the Corellas squad for the national champs.
After surviving the final cut and being named in the team to travel to Caloundra on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Morley started three of the side’s four games and helped lead the Corellas to a third-placed finish.
The gun fullback played on the wing in all of those games so was forced to adapt to a new position, in which she had her hands on the ball much less than she was used to, as well as a new format, given it was 15-a-side and she was familiar with the 10s style of rugby that is played in the Central North competition.
The Blue Boar gave it her best shot and was proud of the way she handled the new environment.
“I enjoyed it and it was a really good experience,” Morley told The Courier.
“It was really honourable to wear the NSW Country jersey.
“It all kind of come as a surprise to be honest. Central North were short for the Country Champs earlier in the year and they needed backs, and a few of the girls asked me to play at that.
“They picked the NSW Country team from those Country Champs, and when I got selected I thought I definitely want to make this happen.
“We had to go to Newcastle for a training day and then they picked a final team from that.
“It was a good bunch of girls. Some of them played last year and a lot of them were new, like me.
“We wanted the Shield because they won it last year. We were going for back-to-back, but ACT were just too strong for us.
“Playing 15s was a bit different. It’s only just been my second year playing 10s and I just got around the rules of playing that. There was obviously more people on the field than what I’m used to and it was a bit confusing at first, but it wasn’t too hard.
“I think I did what was asked of me. It was difficult because I don’t usually play on the wing and I didn’t get to touch the ball much. I think, overall, the coaches were pretty happy with me because I did my job.”
The Corellas got off to a winning start on day one last Wednesday as they won their tournament opener 31-7 against the Australian Defence Force women.
They then followed that up with a crushing 36-6 victory the next day against the South Australian Black Falcons, putting them in contention to play in Sunday’s grand final.
They just needed to get past fellow undefeated team ACT and SNSW Kestrels on Saturday, but they lost 24-3 against the eventual champions. That result meant they would take on the ADF women again in the third-place playoff match on Sunday, and they won that game 15-5 to end the tournament ranked third.
ACT and SNSW Kestrels went on to beat the Queensland Country Orchids 15-10 in the decider to be crowned the champions.
In the men’s division, NSW Country won their way through to the decider but went down 31-19 against rivals Queensland Country on Sunday. That win saw Queensland Country end a 24-year Shield drought.
Morley was one of three Central North players in the NSW Country women’s side with Gunnedah’s Piper Rankmore and Scone’s Emily Fear.
The Narrabri dual code gun is currently in Sydney, where she is playing rugby league for the Army in an interservice competition against the Air Force and Navy.
She is eyeing off a fourth appearance for the Australian Defence Force at the Women’s Rugby League National Championships next year.
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