THE Quirindi Rugby Club is set to embark on a history-making season in 2019, fielding a women's sevens team for the first time.
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With 19 girls lining up for the first-ever Lionesses side, the team has been busy preparing for the 2019 Central North season with a trial match against Gunnedah.
While not keeping score, the side impressed against last year's grand finalists and look set to hold their own throughout the season.
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Lionesses co-coach Nick Rees told the Leader he was "blown away" by his team's performance.
"Of the sixteen girls who played in the trial match, I think only five or six had played rugby before," Rees said.
"Given we only started training together as a group six weeks ago, the girls have come a long way.
"They have gone from zero to 100 really quickly and it has been so great to see."
Co-coaching the side alongside Toby Simkin, Rees said the introduction of a women's sevens team had brought a "new atmosphere to the club".
"There is certainly a real buzz around the club at the moment," Rees said.
"I think it's fair to say the whole club turned out to watch the trial match and support the girls.
"It's creating a really special atmosphere and the girls were really pumped after the game."
The Lionesses will have the daunting task of taking on Pirates in their first clash of the Central North home and away season.
However, Rees is optimistic about the side's chances.
"I really think the girls will surprise a few this season," he said.
"There are some really talented girls in the squad who are are hungry to make an impact on every game.
"While our foremost goal is to have fun and enjoy the game, we are also certainly aiming to make the finals this season.
"I think every team should be aiming to play finals and given how we matched up against last year's grand finalists Gunnedah, I see no reason why we can't get there."
Rees said 2019 was shaping up to be a memorable one for the entire club.
"From the men's side of things I think we are shaping up pretty well at this stage," he said.
"We probably could do with a few more numbers to help bolster our reserve-grade team.
"It could be a bit of a challenge getting a reserve-grade side on the park every week but hopefully we can do it.
"But from the women's sevens perspective, it is really shaping up to be an exciting year for the club and we can't wait to get stuck in."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
