Tempest ready to shake some trees
Rugby development officer Russell Todd may have taken a little inspiration from William Shakespeare when he came up with the name for the Far North’s rugby sevens girls team earlier this year.
Just like one of The Bard’s lesser known works, the region’s fledgling under-17 representative squad is called the Tempest which means a violent, windy storm.
“We swung it by the girls and they loved it,” Todd said.
“We’ve got our own logo now and we’ve really tried to give the team its own identity that the girls can buy into.”
Next month, the Tempest will take on the state’s best in their age group on the Gold Coast and just like the great dramatist’s plays, Todd said his squad are poetry on the pitch.
“This is the first year of the program,” Todd said.
“We started working on it November after we recognised that girls rugby is booming across the country.
“Since then, we’ve been pleasantly surprised by the standard of the girls.
“We thought it would be about development but, I tell you what, the way the girls have come along is very impressive.
“We’ll be going down with the aim to be very competitive.
“There are a couple of girls who’ll be courting higher honours at the tournament too, that is for sure.” Having already stormed through the Mackay 7s undefeated earlier this year, Todd has earmarked flyer Indianna Tillett and hardworking skipper Becka Marsters as two standout prospects.
“Indianna scored nine tries in four games at Mackay,” he said. “She’s a fantastic finisher but an unselfish teammate, so she’s a rare blend,” he said.
“Becka’s a great leader. She’s not necessarily flashy but she’s strong on defence and runs hard.
“She’s a beautiful passer too and a really humble kid.”
A keen netballer, Marsters said rugby sevens had quickly become her favourite sport.
“I prefer rugby because I love the contact of the sport. Laying that first tackle is a great feeling,” she said. “I have brothers that play union and I’ve just been watching them. When I heard there was a team for girls I knew I had to try.”
With increased interest in the game flowing on from the women’s national team’s success at the 2016 Olympics, FNQ Rugby will run a women’s junior competition for under-14, 16 and 18 age groups, expected to start in November.
To date, Penrhyn Sharks, Wanderers, Brothers, Northern Beaches Mudcrabs and Barron Trinity Bulls have all expressed interest in fielding teams in at least one of the three grades.
“It’s exciting to see,” Todd said.