Rugby Union: Warialda teenager Liliana Reardon enjoying rugby ride

Last year the teenager was one of three north west players named in the Rugby Australia Emerging 7s squad.

Identifying her among the top young 7s talent coming through, it has dared her to dream.

She would one day love to follow in the footsteps of fellow Inverell Highlander, Rhiannon Byers, and play for the Aussie women's 7s side. But for now the 17-year old is taking every experience as a learning one.

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On the back of Reardon, Martha Harvey and Brooke McKinnon's selection, Beattie pushed for the formation of a Central North women's development 7s squad and identified three tournaments to go away and play in.

Unfortunately only one of them actually went ahead. But it was still a valuable learning experience coming up against the might of the likes of Sydney Uni and Southern Districts.

"It's been pretty amazing being able to get the experiences that we've had, and last weekend to play against those higher teams," Reardon said of the program and then playing in the Mick "Curry" Whale Memorial 7s where the Kookaburras made the semi-finals.

An opens competition, she added that it was good to measure herself "against older girls" and the Sydney sides.

Before being "grabbed" by Beattie when she started at Warialda four years ago now, she had played league tag and touch but no contact footy.

But she has taken to it like a duck to water.

"It's been fun," she said.

A half, she prefers 7s to 10s or 15s, but is planning to play for the Central North under-18s at the 15s Country Championships later in the year and will suit up again for Inverell in the women's competition.

That has this year moved from 7s to 10s. There will be an option to revert to 7s if both teams don't have enough to play 10s but the finals will all be 10s.

Ahead of that, with the competition kick-off just over a month away, and the new Northern NSW Premier Women's XVs competition, which launches next month, the zone is holding a women's XV's development day at Gunnedah this Sunday.

Starting at 10am it will also be the start of the XV's rep program.

The pilot XV's competition has gained some good interest. Hannah Crisp is among those keen to be involved.

The fellow Highlander has been there since the Central North competition first started, and said it is "great to see" how much the women's game has grown, referring to the inter-zone competition and introduction of the development squad.

She was supposed to go away with the side to the Cresent Head 7s last weekend but it was called off due to the wet weather.

In her third year of a primary teaching degree at UNE, last year Crisp juggled playing for Robb and the Highlanders.

She will continue to do that this year, although living in Armidale Robb will be her main focus. But when the opportunity arises she'll be lacing up the boots for the Highlanders.

The 22-year old this year is no stranger to juggling her footy commitments.

In 2019 she played both league tag for the Hawks and rugby for the Highlanders, and so would often of a Saturday have to dash from one to the other.

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