OVA's Laura Redgrove primed for grand final

And at Scully Park on Saturday, September 23, the 32-year-old will experience another cherished moment when her Oxley Vale Attunga take on Tamworth FC in the Women's Premier League grand final.

The opportunity to play in the decider came after the goalie arrived in the region some four years ago.

Tamworth born and initially Bingara-raised, Redgrove was about 10 years old when her family moved to Austinville in the Gold Coast hinterland.

She spent her formative years there before becoming a speech pathologist and scoring a job in Karratha, Western Australia, after being unable to find work in NSW.

What she had thought would be a one-year gig turned into four years.

"It was just too far away from family," she said.

That unpalatable situation was rectified when Redgrove landed a job at Tamworth. She works with children at Community Health Services at the hospital.

The relocation reunited her with her elder sister, former Mushie Lizzie Newberry.

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About two years, the sisters' parents, Melinda and Chris Hill, moved to Tamworth.

And in February last year, Melinda and Chris were on hand when their youngest child married Richard Redgrove at Tangaratta Vineyards in Tamworth.

Last December, they witnessed her become a mother for the first time. Rowan, Redgrove said, had provided her with "lots of new experiences" that were "challenging at times, but definitely worth it".

The Quirindi-based player leaves Rowan with her parents at Tamworth when she goes to training, or when it is "too cold and miserable" on match day.

She adores her parents, saying they had taught her and her sister "so many valuable lessons".

"The way we are, my sister and myself, all comes from our parents - just the way they brought us up," she said.

Redgrove has also been inspired by her sister. She said her big sis was "driven and is always thinking of others, putting family first".

Redgrove - whose childhood dream was to become a dolphin trainer, and who described herself as "a bit of a couch potato" - expects OVA to be close to full strength for the grand final.

"Every time we've played them [FC] it's always been really competitive," she said. "But I think we've missed a few of our key players the last few times we've played them."

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