The Central North women’s side is primed to give this weekend’s Country Championships a real shake.
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The Kookaburras go into the Warren tournament with the best-prepared and strongest squad they have assembled, and one that coach Dale Beattie believes can at least replicate their semi-final showing in last years inaugural sevens championships.
“With the preparation that we’ve had and the squad we’re taking away l’d like to think we are a top four side,” Beattie said.
He said the development of the Central North women’s competition has made a huge difference.
It’s provided the players week in week out rugby, which previously they haven’t got.
Not only has that improved their skills but, as any coach will attest there is no fitness like match fitness.
The competition has also unearthed “some new faces from around the place that have come into our program”.
They are still learning the game in terms of getting used to the physicality side of things, Beattie said, but have shown some excellent skills.
“We’ve also had some girls come up from our junior program,” he said.
The squad for this weekend features players from Scone, Narrabri and Inverell and has been selected from the wider 22-person squad, with the Warren tournament the first of four the Kookaburras are set to attend.
“We’ve linked them up with Lions 7s,” Beattie said.
The tournaments will form part of the selection process for the UNE Lions squad to contest the Uni 7’s series, doubling as “UNE Lions Discovery Tournaments”.
Last year Central North had two players make the Lions squad for the inaugural tournament. Beattie, who was part of the coaching team, is hoping they can get as many in again or possibly even a few more.
Rhiannon Byers was one of the players involved last year and will be a key for the Kookaburras this weekend.
“She’s a great example of a junior that once she started playing on the women’s circuit really thrived in that environment,” Beattie said.
He believes speed will be one of their biggest assets.
“We got plenty of speed this year. We’ve picked a squad with some really good finishers,” he said.
“And I think our ball movement and transition passing is really good too. We are able to get plenty of width.”
The Kookaburras open their campaign against Central Coast at 10.20am on Saturday. They then face Western Plains at 11.40am before backing up against defending champions Central West an hour later.
The top two sides from the two pools – New England have been drawn in the opposite pool – will advance to the semi-finals on Sunday.
Central North team: Ainsleigh Thomas, Ashlee Knight, Sally Bowe, Meg Huber, Emily Adams, Abby McClure, Lucy Prudden, Lauren Nott, Hannah Crisp, Mykayla Crisp, Rhiannon Byers, Shana Povey, Sarah Byrne.
