Rugby Union: Chantelle Nettleton set to make her Super W debut for Waratahs against Western Force

The 23-year old is poised to make her Super W debut on Sunday after being named as one of the Waratahs' reserve front rowers for their clash with the Western Force at Leichhardt Oval.

It is the culmination, and reward, of a lot of hard work and "aches and pains" over the last 12 months, and something the Peel High alumni admittedly still has to pinch herself when she thinks about.

When Waratahs coach Campbell Aitken rang her to tell her she was in the final squad, Nettleton (nee Lee) didn't believe him.

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"I still don't believe it," she said.

Until the last 12 months or so rugby has always been something she did with her mates or just for a bit of fun, or to get out of school.

She recalled how in her first year at Peel, wanting "to play some sort of footy" but not really that keen on league tag, she and some of her friends asked the PE department whether they could get a team together and play in the local Friday night competition.

"We liked playing together and it was something fun and to get out of school," she confessed.

Also a talented basketballer, she never actually thought of pursuing anything with rugby. At that stage too women's rugby was only finding it's feet in the region.

In her latter teen years she played a few games with Pirates but it was all pretty informal then.

It was just really whoever could put a team together. There was no actual competition then.

The turning point in her journey was meeting her now-husband Kyle. Meeting online, Nettleton said they struck up an instant connection, bonding over their similar interests and similar sense of humour, and were married two years ago.

He had played the game, and now coaches, and told her she had the ability to play at a higher level.

After moving down to Sydney to live with him she linked up with Eastern Suburbs, playing for them in the Jack Scott Cup and having "a bit of fun with it".

Then at the start of last year she enquired to Aitken, who was her coach at Easts, if he thought she could make the Waratahs squad.

"And he said for sure you can," Nettleton said.

"So I just started working hard."

"I had to really work on my fitness to get it where it is now."

"I'd pretty much get up of a morning and go for a walk and do extra running sessions, a lot of gym sessions."

With a young daughter - Zeetress is two - and also working as an aged care worker, it has been a bit of a juggling act and Nettleton said she is "so grateful" for the support system she has around her.

They are one of the reasons that playing Super W means so much to her.

"I've worked so hard to get here and I just want to make all of those people that were involved with me to get here to this point so proud," Nettleton said.

She added: "I never knew I could get to this point mentally and physically."

"It's just amazing how far you can come with the people that are behind you."

The women's game will kick-off at 4.15pm and follow the men's match.

Nettleton's debut comes a week after Inverell's Tina Campbell created a slice of history in making her debut for the Queensland Reds.

The older sister of Reds star Jock, they became the first brother and sister to play Super Rugby and Super W for Queensland on the same night.

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