A winning state of mind: Central North girls claim country gong

That state of mind, Harvey said, is what allowed the team to unlock its best form and come away with the title of Country Champions.

It was the sum of a two-year campaign that began in 2021 when Harvey came together with David Nichols and Matt Jones to take charge of the team.

As former Narrabri Blue Boars teammates, the triumvirate knew exactly what kind of talent existed in the Central North region, and intended to put it on display over the weekend, which they did with great success.

"We took up the coaching of this team last year, and we knew that if we stuck to it, we'd be very close this year," Harvey said.

"We have a high-calibre team, we were very, very lucky to get the team that we did."

In all, Central North played seven times over three days for three wins, three draws, and one loss in Maitland.

While the girls came away as the top-ranked country team in the competition, they were just minutes away from contending for the state title as well.

During their semi-final against Randwick on Monday, the team scored a 15-15 draw. But, as their opponents scored first, Central North did not progress.

Regardless, Harvey was "very, very proud" of the effort shown by his team over the weekend.

And although he said the whole team played their roles superbly, Harvey identified several players whose contributions were key, starting with captain and Gunnedah resident, Eliza O'Donnell.

"She's a very strong, tough prop, and she led these girls around the field," he said.

"The girls would've done anything for her, she's just a tough, hard competitor."

The others to earn Harvey's praise for their performances were Charlotte Eather, Brooke McKinnon, Liliana Reardon, Martha Harvey (who was voted Best Back of the competition).

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: