22 Sep 2023
Two of our teams went to compete in the Katrina Fanning Cup finals yesterday. Played on Kirkham Oval in Elderslie, the Katrina Fanning Cup finals are reserved for only the best women’s rugby league teams in NSW.
The under 14s had a great run, winning their first game against Rooty Hill 16-10. The Cook sisters Havana and Armani scored three tries followed by a kick from Armani which was chased by Aurora Latu.
This performance managed to put our under 14s team in the finals against Hunter Sports High School where they were served a humbling defeat. Despite the loss, the team managed to rank third in the state.
Meanwhile, the under 16s marginally beat St Joseph’s from Aberdeen (16-14). The girls got off to a flying start, managing to score in the first 2 minutes of the game. By half time, both teams were sitting at 4 all. The girls fought hard to bring in a narrow victory.
The under 16s second game against Central Coast Sports College was another tit-for-tat round. Reese Vidler’s ability to kick conversions managed to help the team seal a 16-10 win in the end.
The team suffered a convincing loss to Narooma High School (20-8) and then, a much closer defeat at the hands of Warilla High School. The match against Warilla was lost by a mere conversion and unfortunately, prevented the girls from progressing to the grand finals. The team also managed to rank third in the state.
There were some strong players on both teams. On our under 14s girls team, Havana and Armani Cook were fast, had great ball skills and showed an amazing ability to read the field. Newcomer Sam Gadsen’s outstanding speed was also a huge asset to the team.
On our under 16s team, Jess Carusi was a strong runner as was Samantha Simpson. Amy Parker was also ferocious on defence, stopping a couple of game ending tries.
“To come third in the state in both competitions is outstanding. It just cements our position as one of the strongest rugby league and union schools in the state,” explains under 14s coach Richard Wiseman, “Our work on developing our girls football teams is really showing.”
Special thanks to Nau Mahe, Ken Townsing, under 16s coach Enoka Tia, and under 14s coach Richard Wiseman for making this opportunity possible for the girls.
