Ready to fly again: Clough talks motherhood and returning to the field

A self-described "competitive person", she lives for the heat of the battle.

So suffice to say the Tamworth forward didn't much enjoy the 2023 season, being confined to the sidelines.

Not something she's been too accustomed to over her sporting journey, she described it as "an awful experience".

There was though nothing 'awful' about the reason she wasn't able to play. It was very much the opposite in fact.

In September Clough and fiancee Ben Watts welcomed their second child, a daughter Romi-Lee.

Affectionately known as Rue, she is a younger sister to Koa, who at two-and-a-half is already a little footballer in the making.

He recently got his first pair of footy boots and shorts, which he loves to wear around.

His "dooty boots" as he calls his boots, Clough said he's "obsessed" with them.

Strapping hers back on at the Armidale Knockout earlier this month, she loved being back out there again.

The first competitive action she'd seen in around 18 months, naturally it took her a little while to find her feet.

"My first game I actually felt, I suppose, pretty defeated, I just felt a bit weaker," Clough said.

"But then I think my second game I was so frustrated by my first game that I was like 'whatever'.

"And then I was happy with the rest of my games, so it was good."

She joked that was certainly grateful she'd done all the pre-season training with club fitness coordinator Kim McLean. Without that there she said was "no way" she could have stepped onto the field, recalling how at her first training session she failed to complete it and didn't know if she'd be able to run.

"I have never in my life felt like running would be a struggle," she said.

"My mum always says 'I couldn't run' (after having a child) and it was the first time that I've ever actually understood what she meant."

It's been one of a few different experiences second time round, with Rue "a completely different baby" to Koa.

"I feel like Koa was actually a chilled baby," she said.

"He would just go to whoever and sleep whenever and sleep for ages."

"Rue is just the complete opposite. She doesn't really sleep at all, ever, and won't be put down."

Six months a couple of weeks ago, she is constantly amazing Clough and Watts with how she is growing.

"It's insane," Clough said.

Same could be said of life juggling a two-year-old who is "100 miles an hour 24-7" and an infant.

It's another reason that she's enjoyed getting back into footy.

It's something for her, and a bit of an escape from the "absolutely hectic" life of a mum of two.

Originally from Guyra, the 26-year-old moved to Tamworth when she was in her mid-teens.

She joined the Magpies in 2022 after Watts, who will coach the women's side again this season, convinced her to give rugby a try.

Aside from a few games with Werris Creek in the women's nines competition Group 4 ran and a game with the Northern Tigers in 2020, having not really played any tackle football before, from the first tackle she made she "loved it" and she knew she'd found her sport, and her club.

Knowing little about the game when she started, Watts was a great help.. for the most part.

"It's so funny because he doesn't realise how strong he is," Clough said.

"I'd be like 'do you think you could teach me how to do a tackle', and I would do a tackle on him, and then he'd demonstrate it back to me what I was doing wrong and correct my form."

And often she'd end up on her backside.

She joked that she often feels she needs to warn Watts' co-coach Glenn Allan when they're demonstrating something at training.

"But he's got so much knowledge and is so good for the girls," she said.