Young junior rugby league player Chelsea Nowland has become the first female in St Clair Comets’ 40-year history to reach 100 games.
The talented hooker chalked up the milestone recently while playing with the powerhouse U12 Girls St Clair Comets team.
According to her coach Nick Smith, this is the first season Nowland has played in an all-female team.
“Chelsea played mixed rugby league her whole life with the club and this year would’ve been her last year with the boys in mixed, however she chose to come play with the girls instead,” he told the Weekender.
“Chelsea is the first female at our club to play 100 games. She’s a dummy half and a pleasure to coach. She is such a respectful young lady and is one of the best players in the district running around.
“There’s not much of her – she’s not the tallest or the biggest, but she’s ferocious. She does not take a backwards step. She’s always pushing herself to be better and is an amazing young lady.”
Along with Nowland’s incredible century, four of her teammates at St Clair have notched up 50 games this season also.
“We’re celebrating milestone games just about every week,” Smith said.
It’s certainly been a season to remember for Smith and his super team, who remain undefeated with just a handful of matches remaining before Finals.
St Clair aren’t just beating teams every week, they are crushing them, with their points ‘for’ and ‘against’ sitting at an eye-watering 414-16.
“We’ve only had three tries scored against us all year,” Smith said.
“The work ethic of this team is phenomenal. As their coach, I raise the bar and they catch the bar and jump over it. I have to keep raising the bar because it’s absolutely amazing what they are doing.”
And it seems St Clair’s performances on the field is catching the attention of onlookers and rival clubs too, with people regularly coming up to Smith complimenting his young side.
“In 10 years of coaching, I’ve never seen the line speed that these girls put out – it’s crazy!” Smith said.
“People who have watched rugby league longer than me have complimented them, saying they’ve never seen line speed like that before.
“They are running block plays, double block plays, sweep plays. They don’t stop the whole match. Even when the game is over, they could probably play another game.”
Smith said the secret behind his team’s incredible success this season is that each and every player turns up for one another.
“When they take to the field, they play like every one of them is the captain – all stepping up for each other,” he said.
“I’d be very surprised if we don’t see eight or nine of them play in the NRLW one day. They are phenomenal.”
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.