Twelve months after making her senior debut for Gunnedah - and creating a piece of club history in the process - Emmy Barr is excitedly on the countdown to another monumental moment in her rugby journey.
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The teenager was this week named in the Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team under-17s girls team.
The side was selected following a camp/trial down in Sydney on the weekend.
Barr was one of about 35 girls invited to trial from which they narrowed that down to about 14.
"I was very surprised to be picked," she admitted.
"Being from across Australia you expect not to."
Consequently, to learn she had made the side was "very exciting".
Barr doesn't know a lot of details at the moment, other than they will play at the 7s nationals at the end of July.
Established in 1992 by former Wallaby Lloyd McDermott, to 'increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in rugby' the LMDRD, or 'Lloydies' as they are also known, Barr said it was an "unexplainable feeling" to be representing her culture.
The 17-year-old was in her younger days a gymnasts but a serious back injury forced her to channel her sporting passion elsewhere.
Watching her mum, Simone Lickorish, play she was inspired to give rugby a crack.
She hasn't looked back.
Last year they became the first mother and daughter to suit up for the Red Devils when Emmy made her debut on June 26. It came five days after she had celebrated her 16th birthday, which meant she could get a special dispensation to play seniors.
"I'd been waiting for ages but finally got to the age of it to be able to," she said.
It was a special moment, and one that they have been lucky enough to replicate many times since.
"We get to play together all the time; I love it," Barr said.
Only taking up the sport herself a few years ago, she said her mum is a big inspiration for her.
"Hell yeah," Barr said.
"There aren't many 40-year-olds who still play."
She also, she admits, helps keeps her motivated, especially on those cold winter nights for training.
As well as the Red Devils this season, Barr also this season represented Central North, going away with the under-18s to the Country/State Championships in June.
She also plays touch football and has been training hard with the Goannas (Gunnedah rep side) open mixed side ahead of the State Cup, which is on the first weekend in December.
It will be Barr's first time going away to the tournament, and she is looking forward to it.
