Women's contact rugby league has been growing rapidly across the country and the Tenterfield Tigers are set to join the trend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Warwick and District Junior Rugby League has voted to include women's tackle rugby league in their week-to-week competition in 2024.
The competition will be for the under 18s women and is nine-a-side.
Tigers' committee member Amanda Mediero knows first-hand what it is like for young women who want to play the sport.
Her daughter Maddie has clocked up plenty of kilometres all over Queensland and NSW for representative rugby league.
Mediero said the introduction of a regular competition it is going to be a massive step forward for female development in the sport.
"To be able to play in front of their family and the Tigers as a whole is going to be pretty special for them," she said.
"That regular football means our girls' level of skill is going to improve greatly and our chances of having more people in representative is going to increase."
So far two girls - Mia Everson and Ava Mitchell - have registered.
They're required to for pre-season representative rugby league but Mediero said there's been a little bit of interest outside of registrations.
"I did put out an expression of interest and so far we would be looking at just fielding nine-a-side," she said.
"We got a little bit of resistance with it because it is 18s but we keep trying to remind everybody they are in the same boat; they are all learning and they are all at the same skill level.
"We just need girls games here that our girls get to see.
"Once they see it, they are going to realise it is a different thing than what they thought it was."
In another boost for the Tigers juniors, the Greater Northern Tigers representative sides will take to Rugby League Park in pre-season trial matches against Northern Rivers Titans in January.
Tenterfield's own Darcy Rolph and Phelix Lavea are in the Andrew Johns Cup under 16s extended squad while Ava Mitchell is in the under 17s girls.
They will play on January 13 from 11am with four games scheduled.
Mediero said there's plenty of excited locals.
"Especially because we have the local kids playing," she said.
"Most of the kids in this area don't get to see that quality football very often."