Some two years after making the move to Newcastle for the greater opportunities on offer down there, Shanti Kennedy is reveling in a pretty full plate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The former basketball-come-rugby star is currently in the midst of trialing for the Newcastle Knights Tarsha Gale Cup (NSW women's under-19s competition) squad, and is also in the line for selection in the NSW under-17s girls rugby sevens side to play in Brisbane next month after being named in the train-on squad following the recent State Championships in Bowral.
It comes three years after she first picked up a rugby ball in the Tamworth Summer 7s.
Just over 12 months later she was suiting up for the National Indigenous Youth Girls team at the National 7s Championship, and the rugby seed was well and truly planted.
READ ALSO:
That was further cemented when she was accepted into the Talented Sport Program for rugby at Hunter Sports High, with rugby now her main focus; along with rugby league.
The latter is only a relatively recent discovery.
She hadn't really played league until she started at the school but has quickly taken to it and last month suited up for the runner-up-finishing Newcastle Hawks in the inaugural Tribal League.
It was, she said, a great experience, and has inspired her to give league a serious crack.
"It was good because Bec Young (former Jillaroo and Sydney Roosters squad member) was my coach and she really wanted me on the team," Kennedy said.
Still in her teens, she said it was also great playing with a lot of older girls.
She learnt a lot from them.
As she is with the Knights. It has been "very intense".
"We train three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - for three hours," she said.
"We do an hour in the gym and about two hours in the field."
The squad is currently on break for three weeks but Kennedy will still be putting in the hard yards. They have all been given a training program and will be tested when they return.
She doesn't have any preference for union or league at this stage but would like to be able to pursue a career in one of them and spoke about how exciting it is that there are so many opportunities.
About to start her final year of high school, it could be a busy start to the year for Kennedy with the 7s series to be played on January 31 and the Tarsha Gale Cup kicking off the following weekend.
