Sport
27 July, 2023
Wolves duo experiences NRLW scene
Two Stanley River Wolves junior girls savoured the opportunity to play at Sunshine Coast Stadium during the half-time break in last Saturday night’s NRLW clash between the Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters.
Two teams of 7- to 8-year-olds and two teams of 9-year-olds took to the field, with these line-ups comprising female players from the Sunshine Coast Junior Rugby League (SCJRL).
Macie, who plays for the Wolves U7 White team in club football, lined up in one game while Grace from the Wolves U9 Black team was among the players in the other game.
The Wolves were also represented in the coaching department, as two of the four coaches on the night were Sammy-Jo Richardson and Mei Edmunds.
Sammy-Jo coaches the Stanley River U9 Red team in club football, while Mei coaches the U9 Black team.
The players in last Saturday night’s junior games at Sunshine Coast Stadium came from clubs including Stanley River, Gympie, Pomona-Cooran, Noosa, Coolum, Maroochydore, Nambour, Palmwoods, Kawana, Caloundra, Nirimba, Beerwah, Caboolture, Beachmere and Bribie Island.
In addition to playing at a stadium during a NRLW night, Macie and Grace were also excited to have the opportunity to play in an all-girls team.
At club level, Macie and Grace play in mixed teams and are the only girls in their respective teams.
The duo had a lot of fun and played confidently last Saturday night, while no results were recorded as the age groups were classified as non-competitive.
The opportunity for the junior girls came about as the Brisbane Broncos invited the Sunshine Coast Rugby League to host two games at the event, with two U7-8 teams and two U9 teams.
With these games planned as a celebration of women in rugby league, the SCJRL organised all-girls mini games with female coaches, and requested the players wear their full club playing kit to showcase which club they were from.
The players and coaches were provided four tickets each for family members.
Wolves president Mary-Anne Hallam said, “With all-female competitions not starting until U13s, the club is very thankful to both SCJRL and the Brisbane Broncos NRLW for providing such a unique opportunity for our girls to experience that environment alongside girls they would normally play against, while showcasing how much the female game has grown, especially over the last five years.
“I know just at our club alone, we have gone from one female player in 2018, to 60 in 2023.
“We now have more female coaches, first aid officers and Leaguesafe’s involved with teams than ever before.”
