After taking out the Group Nine minor premiership, Cootamundra Junior Rugby League’s under 13s leaguetag side will have to go about things the hard way if they plan to win the Grand Final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The girls went down today to second-placed Young, giving Young a direct path into the big one, while Cootamundra will play Harden in Boorowa next week for their place.
Coach Renae Glanville is not concerned about the loss, saying it should prove beneficial to the girls in the final rounds of the season as they now know how hard they have to work for success.
The team’s top position on the ladder at the end of the regular season marked an important milestone for the Cootamundra Club; their first ever leaguetag minor premiership.
Since being introduced, leaguetag has gone from strength to strength as girls take up the chance to compete in the adapted form of the game many grew up watching with their dads and brothers, rugby league.
Glanville is a dedicated member of the town’s senior leagutag club, the Bullettes, and said she has been so impressed by the skills of the girls under her care this year.
“Everyone does their job; they really know how to play as a team,” she said.
The team is made up of about five 12-year-olds and the rest 13.
Standout players this year have been leading try-scorer Maddie Gilles, who would often post four tries a match, Ellie Miller, who has watched big brother Tom excel on the rugby league field, Claudia McLeod, who is in her first year of leaguetag, and Lara Wilson, who also comes from a strong league family.
To reverse their fortunes next week, Glanville said the girls will need to pick up their urgency in attack.