Former Narrabri Blue Boars skipper celebrates another rugby premiership

A move away from home to Brisbane at the start of this year was one of the toughest decisions that Bella Cruickshank has ever made, but it was one that well and truly paid off after the gun rugby union star celebrated her third grand final victory in as many seasons on Saturday.

The 22-year-old was born and raised in Wee Waa and had never left home until she headed north in January.

After playing in three grand finals and winning two premierships with the Narrabri Blue Boars, the second of which she captained, Cruickshank set her sights on a new goal in the rugby union arena in 2025.

She wanted to test herself in the 15-a-side arena against the toughest opposition possible, and she achieved that as she played against some of Queensland’s premier rugby clubs.

She linked up with the West Bulldogs and was able to earn the starting fly-half role in the club’s second grade side, and she also earned a first grade debut during the year.

Her team played eight matches in the StoreLocal Challenge Cup from March through to May, and they won four of those eight to end up ranked seventh on the 14-team ladder.

They then played the second half of the season in the SEQ Women’s Cup and won five of their seven matches to finish ranked second on the eight-team ladder and qualify for the finals.

They took on the undefeated minor premiers Gold Coast Eagles in the major semi-final and went down 21-17, with a pair of penalty goals the difference after they both scored three tries each.

The Bulldogs bounced back in style to win the preliminary final 38-17, during which the Wee Waa girl scored a try to help secure a grand final berth for her side.

They met Gold Coast once again at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday, and this time they beat the Eagles when it mattered most as the Bulldogs scored a 29-5 premiership victory.

They outscored Gold Coast five tries to one and two conversions to none in that dominant 24-point victory.

Cruickshank told The Courier that she was proud to have won the grand final alongside a group of teammates who had welcomed her and made her feel at home this year.

“The girls are amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to stay up here and keep playing if I didn’t have the bunch of girls I’ve got here,” she said.

“It was a big move, not knowing a single person in the team or in Brisbane.

“The move was massive, especially going from a household of seven people and being the oldest of five to being literally by myself. I was a bit sceptical at first. I was umming and ahhing. But I’m glad I did it. It’s made me a better person.

“It was really special to win the grand final. We had worked so hard all year and we really played for each other.

“The way we played on Saturday, everything clicked and came together.

“To win it with the group of girls I had, who are now really good friends, it means a lot.

“We had three of the boys teams in the grand finals from our club as well and they all won.

“Having all of us playing and all the supporters there was crazy.”

Cruickshank said she was glad that she made the move to Brisbane and she is now determined to work hard in the off-season and earn a crack at regular first grade footy in 2026.

While moving away from home was easily her greatest challenge this year, the transition from 10s to 15-a-side was also a challenge for the Wee Waa gun.

“I made the move to be able to play 15s and gain more experience. It’s a bigger comp with a lot more opportunities,” Cruickshank said.

“I just want to play at the highest level that I can and see how far I can go.

“I found out about the Bulldogs through a former Blue Boar, Steve Keys. He was at our grand final in Narrabri last year, and he lined it all up for me, which was really good. He’s one of the sponsors for our women’s team, and his daughter (George Keys) plays with me as well.

“The move into 15s was very hard and it was a massive wake-up call, that’s for sure.

“I’m so used to playing 10s where there’s no real structure and you’re winging it most of the time. In 10s you’re running around people and in 15s you’re running through them.
“It was actually a massive difference. Bigger than I thought it was going to be. There’s a lot more structure and it’s a lot more technical.

“After a couple of games, I was good, but the first couple of games I was running around all the time and the girls were like, ‘just chill, you don’t have to run 110 miles an hour all the time’.

“After that, I was good.

“We play 35-minute halves too (up from 10-minute quarters in Central North). It shocked me. The first couple of games, I felt like I was on the field for three hours, and I was thinking, ‘when is this game going to finish’.

“That took a bit longer to get used to.”

As for this Saturday’s Central North Rugby Union women’s 10s division grand final between the Narrabri Blue Boars and Tamworth Pirates, Cruickshank had a short but strong message for her former Narrabri teammates as they go in search of a third straight premiership.

“Back yourselves and trust the girl next to you!” she said.