MEG OF MANY TALENTS
JILLAROOS winger Meg Ward could have been preparing for an Olympic Games.
Instead, she’s on the verge of winning a Women’s Rugby League World Cup.
The Katherine 23-year-old has revealed how she quit a flourishing soccer career play- ing alongside a string of current Matildas because she wanted to play a more “physical” sport.
A former midfielder for the Australian schoolgirls and in the women’s premier league in Brisbane, Ward once scored three goals in a semi-final.
But she told how she switched to rugby union, where her journey to league officially began.
“I think I was becoming a little too physical in soccer, so it was time to have a crack at something else,” she said.
“I had the potential if I had have stuck with it (soccer).
“Some of the girls that I was fortunate enough to play with are now with the Matildas and doing amazing things.”
Ward played soccer from age five to 18 but was looking for a fresh challenge.
That led to three years playing union before she moved to Katherine for work. There, league beckoned. Ward made her Jillaroos debut on Thursday, scoring a try in Australia’s 58-4 rout of the Cook Islands. She will line up against England this afternoon at Southern Cross Group Stadium, where the Jillaroos will look to build on their firstup win.
“There’s obviously little areas we can fix, but that was an awesome start for the girls and I’m really excited to be part of it,” Ward said.