The local Sutherland Shire clubs who field female teams in either the contact or non-contact versions of the game, were this week treated to a visit from the Sharks NRLW team in a junior league blitz.
The entire Sharks NRLW squad were out and about, getting involved in drills, passing on their knowledge, while also signing autographs and posing for photos in what was an initiative to show the youngsters there is now a pathway to the highest levels of women’s rugby league.
The event was also an opportunity to encourage young girls currently playing League Tag and non-contact versions of rugby league to consider making the transition to the tackle format in the years to come.
The Wednesday night JRL visits were also a chance to raise awareness around the Sharks NRLW team, with the pre-season well underway and their round one match now just over a month away.
Highlights of the event included NSW Origin representative Quincy Dodd being joined by Talei Holmes at their former junior league club of Cronulla Caringbah, while fellow NSW Sky Blues players Tiana Penitani and Brooke Anderson also took part in the JRL blitz.
For Dodd and Holmes their rugby league journey began at Cronulla Caringbah, progressed to the Tarsha Gale where they were members of the team which won the competition in 2018, before the pair have gone on to success at a senior level.
Sharks Have Heart organised the NRLW JRL blitz, which was hailed as a huge success and was embraced by all the clubs involved, in an effort to inspire the next generation of female players.
