Sport
24 July, 2024
City Country out to forge a new era of women's rugby league
Can the minor premiers stop Wranglers from winning three in a row?
Wranglers would have been unbackable odds to win their third straight Mount Isa Rugby League A-grade women’s competition at the start of the season, but go into Friday night’s grand final as underdogs.
While the Wranglers have been hit hard by injuries, the rise of City Country has taken the competition by storm in 2024.
Daniel Rhodes, who coached the minor premiers, said his players had been rewarded for their commitment.
“We’ve built a strong team spirit on and off the field and they’ve committed to turning up to training and games this year,” he said.
While Rhodes understands that Wranglers have been the team to beat in the MIRL in previous years, he believes his forward pack has given them an edge over their rivals this season.
“When you have good numbers it does make a difference,” he said.
Wranglers coach Col Ryder said while his team would be missing some key players and deserved to be underdogs, he believed that his team could get the job done.
“We are down a bit on troops but we will still have a quality side on the park,” he said.
“It’s a special thing to win three grand finals in a row so there will be a lot of motivation.”
Gun fullback Gabrielle Holder and playmaker Rachel Baine will be key players for Wranglers after they led their side to a 20-14 win against Cloncurry in Saturday’s preliminary final.
Captain Hannah Clarke will likely miss with a rib injury.
City Country will look to the likes of Chelsea Page and Diaz Seumanutafa to get the job done.
The women’s grand final has been scheduled for 6pm Friday at Alec Inch Oval, with players and organisers aware of the “Quamby rush” – many will be keen to head to the rural rodeo on Saturday.
The A-grade women also play a different format – nine-a-side and 15-minute halves – to combat player shortages when shift rosters impact availability.
Kick-off will be around 6pm, with entry free to the ground.