CNRU major semi-finals: Jacinta Cooper excited to kick off finals campaign with Pirates

Three years after linking up with Pirates when the pandemic brought her back to Tamworth, the former sprinter will be a pivotal figure as they look to secure their maiden Central North women's premiership.

They have been the form team in 2022, dropping just one game on their way to their third straight minor premiership (two in Central North and one in New England), and will at Gunnedah on Saturday tackle Narrabri for the first spot in the grand final.

READ ALSO: 'I had to give it one more crack': Unfinished business lures stalwart back

Cooper has been a big part of their success after initially joining the club in 2020 when uni was shut down.

Last year with study still external at the start of the season she decided to suit up for Pirates again. Even when they did then return to on campus learning, she stayed on, making the 10-hour round trip to play.

"I'd finish class on Friday and then drive back up, play Saturday, go back to Bathurst on Sunday," she said.

Now living and working back in Tamworth while she finishes off the last couple of subjects of her paramedics degree, there was never any question of her not pulling on the black and gold again.

"Yeah, I love playing for Pirates," she said.

"It's been good to be here for another year".

After last year missing out on the opportunity to play finals with the competition called off just before, she is really looking forward to Saturday.

READ ALSO: Taste of Thailand helps Voon 'fall in love' with Tamworth and find a man

"It is really good to actually be able to play our finals this year. The girls have been putting in a lot of effort, we've been working hard and building each week so I'm excited to see how we go tomorrow," she said.

"There's a fair bit of pressure on us but it's something that we all feel ready for."

The Blue Boars have been their biggest rivals this season and are the only team to have beaten them.

READ ALSO: Bears wary of Cowboys' offensive threat

"One of the main things that we've been talking about is they have a really, really strong forward pack, whereas most of our team are backs and a lot of them have sort of had to transition from being a back to a forward," she said.

"Getting over our rucks and maintaining possession will probably be one of the main things that we're going to have to make sure that we do a good job of."

TEAMS:

PIRATES: 3 Molly Cullen, 9 Rosie Ferguson (c), 1 Erika Maslen, 7 Miah O'Sullivan, 5 Nicola Robinson, 14 Phoebe McLoughlin, 4 Tomi Gavin, 19 Liliana Reardon, 10 Jacinta Cooper (c), 12 Shae Partridge, 21 Leilani Tevaga, 6 Jillian Mooney, 17 Phebe McNamara, 18 Tyanna Kerr, 11 Kathleen Ferguson

NARRABRI: 1. Peta Cox (c), 25. Shona McFarland, 21. Kiara Harvey, 6. Kate Brown, 7. Carly Baxter, 9. Martha Harvey, 10. Toni Gale, 13. April Smith, 14. Gerri Cruckshank, 15. Bella Cruikshank, 19. Zoe Tomlinson, 23. Anni Wenner, 11. Brooke McKinnon, 22. Jasmine Wheeler, 24. Louisa Anderson

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: