She is one of the region's best young rugby players, but if the Tamworth Kangaroos had managed to get up a women's side this season Erika Maslen might well have been kicking around the Sherrin instead of the Gilbert.
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While rugby is her ultimate passion, when the Central North season was cancelled, Maslen saw it as the ideal opportunity to fulfill an ambition to have a crack at AFL.
"I was going to play for the Kangaroos because I've always wanted to play AFL but hadn't had the chance," Maslen said.
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For someone who trained for a season with Pirates before she, because of age restrictions, was finally able to lace up the boots and grew up in a rugby-mad family - her dad Jeremy coaches the Pirates under-18s boys and has also coached at a Country level while elder brother Toby plays for Pirates and is a long-time NSW Country representative - it strikes as somewhat a bit of a surprising aspiration.
But as Maslen, who has worn the Country gold herself, explained she follows a lot of sport and AFL is one that appeals to her.
She had also watched Toby play a couple of games with school and enjoy it, and knew with the amount of running involved it would keep her fitness up for rugby, and some potential representative tournaments later in the year.
She trained with the Kangaroos for about three or four weeks and "loved it" - finding a real enjoyment in the unfamiliar.
"I felt like I was learning something new every session," Maslen said.
But they were unable to get the numbers to field a side. And then Pirates joined forces with Walcha to play as their women's side in the New England competition.
Not that the Pirates forward is complaining about how things have turned out.
"I'm really happy that footy came back," she said.
Before everything stopped it was looking like being a big year for the 17-year old, who is in Year 11 at Carinya. She had just helped Central North achieve their best-ever result at the Country 7s Championships and been named in the tournaments' dream team.
The young gun had also been invited to be part of the UNE Lions wider training squad.
Maslen was disappointed not to have the chance to be involved in that with the Uni 7s series canned amid the pandemic, and also miss out on the junior Country Championships.
But it hasn't been all gloom with Pirates setting the benchmark since the first round of the competition.
They are unbeaten so far and on Saturday schooled cross-town rivals Tamworth 32-7 and 36-5, Rugby WA rep Claudia Nielsen electric outwide with a double in the first game and hat-trick in the second.
"As a team we're playing so well," Maslen said.
"We've come together from a team that has a lot of new girls in it and have just gelled so well."
In the round's other fixture Armidale and Glen Innes shared the points with the Blues getting up 19-15 in the first game before the Elkettes outgunned them 15-nil in the second.
Pirates are due to play them in their remaining two games. They've got the Elkettes this coming Saturday and then the Blues the following week.
